


Sweet Consequences

by Eveilwoman



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Ron Weasley Bashing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:02:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 14
Words: 40,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28415088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eveilwoman/pseuds/Eveilwoman
Summary: Before the end of the war Voldemort forced Lucius to rape Ginny. Punishment would have been the death of the Malfoys. He was without a wand and had to commit the act. Lucius spent five years wondering why he was never charged with that crime. Lucius finds that his darkest moment produced the brightest light. He now share a daughter with Ginny. Most amazingly Ginny understood Lucius was as much a victim as she was, and does not hold his actions against him.
Relationships: Lucius Malfoy/Ginny Weasley
Comments: 12
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

**Sweet Consequences**

**Prologue**

The Carrows had grabbed her after she and Neville caused another problem, taking her to their office. They then used the Floo network to take her to their master. "Master, here is what you requested."

"Ginevra Weasley, your family has caused me great difficulty. You will now pay for them." He hit her with the Cruciatus Curse. She fell to the ground withering in pain. It felt like every nerve in her body was on fire. She screamed in pain as Tom watched and laughed. Once the pain stopped he used Legillimens on her. "So you don't know where Potter is hiding."

In that moment she was glad she had learned how to block her thoughts. She picked it up really easy. Her mother was relieved, because the new headmaster would without a doubt try to get information from her mind. He would see she knew nothing. Ginny had agreed to have some memories removed. Not just to protect herself, but Harry and the others as well. Now she could not give any information about Harry or the Order. She panted in pain.

"I have a special plan for you. You will help me make one of my own pay for his failure. Lucius, you failed me. Your son could not do as he was ordered. So now you will make up for those failures and in doing so hurt Potter and the Order. Potter will seek revenge. He will then come to me. Lucius, you will take her. I want you to enjoy her." Ginny looked at Lucius _No please tell me he does not mean what I think he means._ She shuddered at the thought.

"My Lord, I don't rape children." Lucius spoke in a slow even tone.

"Lucius. May I remind you that your family are; in my charge. And think how, Arthur will feel, to know that you were his daughter's first." Voldemort smiled. "Take her to the third bedroom and remember I will know if you deceive me. The consequence would be regrettable at best."

Lucius walked over and grabbed the youngest Weasley. He pulled her out of the room and down a long hall. As they reached the staircase he finally spoke. "I do not wish to do this. But I cannot let anything happen to my family." She looked at him and again shuddered.

"I won't let you do this to me." She tried to pull away from him. But his hold was too strong. He pushed her down the hall a little farther. Then he opened the door to a bedroom. Once inside he grabbed both her arms, so he was looking right into her eyes, his fingers dug into her soft skin.

"I don't want this any more than you do. I have no desire to have anyone in my bed who does not want to be there. He will kill my son and wife if I don't. I know you're still a child. I'm sorry." He could see the tears forming in her eyes. "I will be gentle so it does not hurt as much. Tell me quickly; have you had sex before?"

She swallowed hard, fighting the tears she would not cry in front of him."No."

He closed his eyes and muttered something she could not make out. He lessened his hold on her. "We do not have much time. I will try to be fast about it, but if you try to relax it will be easier on you. That being said, I need you to scream. I'm sure that someone has followed us and will be listening." He released her, opened the door again, looked out and closed it. "If I had a wand I would just change your memories... But I do not." She looked into his eyes and could see he was telling the truth.

When it was finished he rose from the bed saying to her. "I can't let you wash up but go into the bathroom. Vomit if you need to, wash your face, cry if you need. And get your clothing back on." She nodded. "I must stress do not bathe, as much as you must want to. He will need my scent to still be on you. I have to go back. I hope no one will disturb you." He walked to the door, then looked back at her again. "I am sorry." He hated Voldemort now more than ever. She was younger than his son. Lucius did not think he would ever forget the look on her face as he took her virginity. He was relieved that she did seem to listen to him. She was very verbal about it but did not put up much of a physical fight. Before he reached the stairs Lucius put his fist through the wall. He had never been so mad.

She entered the bathroom as her whole body shook as she relieved it in her mind. Why did she cooperate? She realized that she could tell even though that man hated her family that he did not want to do that to her. She could see tears in his eyes as he entered her. He kept whispering "I'm sorry". She did as he said: washing only her face, throwing up, and redressing. _What am I going to do? They could be sending someone else any second. And they won't be as kind. Did I just use kind in regards to a Malfoy?_ She opened the door a little; the room was still clear. She ran to the door but it was locked. She tried to move the dresser in front of the door but it would not move. There was nothing else in the room big enough to block the door. She went back to the bathroom as there was a lock on the door there. She locked herself in.

 _Tomorrow morning Professor McGonagall will see I'm missing and let the Order know. But will they send anyone? Maybe they removed my memories to protect themselves. I was a sitting duck at Hogwarts. If they did not have to worry about anything I might tell, then why rescue me?_ She began to sob as she slid down the door to her knees.

A short time later she heard the outer door open. Her whole body stiffened. "Miss Weasley?" It was Lucius again. She then heard a soft knock on the door. "Miss Weasley, I need to take you back. Please open the door."

She slowly stood up. _What will they do to me now_? She opened the door. Looking at the floor, she did not want to look into his eyes. "Come on now." As they walked, he continued, "I don't know what else he has planned for you. I'm no longer in his inner circle. If he uses the Cruciatus curse, the more you fight against it, the worse it is." He grabbed her arm again as they reached the bottom of the stairs, and led her into the room she arrived in earlier. She did not look at it before but now she saw how dark it was. However there was one exception; Snape was there. For half a second he looked surprised to see her.

Voldemort looked at her and then walked up to her, grabbing her chin in his cold gray hand "Did you have fun?" He laughed along with others in the room. Ginny fought the urge to spit in his face; her tongue however had a mind its own.

"Is this the only way you can feel? To make others hurt? Is that how you feel alive?" She was hit with the Cruciatus curse again, this time she did not fight it.

"Snape, you will take her back to Hogwarts. So she can cry to her blood traitor family."

Snape grabbed her by the arm, pulling her up and then entering the fireplace. The next second they were in the headmaster's office. She would not cry in front of him. Dumbledore sat in his portrait behind Snape's desk. He let out a gasp at the sight of her. "Ginevra, what are you doing here?" She looked over her shoulder at Snape.

Snape spoke "He was using her to hurt her family and the Order." Snape said. He still did not know what had happened. "What happened over there?" he asked.

"Like I'd tell you." She was mad; how dare he ask her.

"Miss Weasley, you will answer your headmaster." the portrait said.

"No he's a traitor and a murderer."

"Miss Weasley, you will find that things are not always as they seem. I know what Snape has done. I see no reason not to trust him." Ginny's eyes widened as her mind began to race. "What I'm about to tell you must promise never no matter what to reveal unless a favourable end comes and Harry's opinion of Professor Snape is still the same."

"I promise."

"I asked Snape to help me to the end of my life on this plane. I was dying already. It was not murder, it was a friend helping a friend."

"What are you doing?"

"Severus, if Voldemort thought she could be of any help to his cause he would have kept her there. And someone has to know the truth in the event things do not go as planned. Ginny, please tell us what happened."

She told them about the Carrows taking her and what all happened. Snape looked ready to kill commenting "That bastard."

"No, I could tell that Luc- did not want to. He was – quite kind about it. He did not want to. Voldemort threatened his family. He, Voldemort said it would be a blow to Harry and the others."

"Severus, go get Minerva." The portrait waited until the door closed behind Snape "Ginny, I know I can trust you not to tell anyone what you heard in this room tonight. Only the three of us know now. And Ginny you can trust Snape will do everything in his power as headmaster to see that the students are as unharmed as possible. Have you always noticed that he is not as hard on you as the other Gryffindors? That's because you remind him too much of her." They heard Snape with McGonagall on the stairs.

McGonagall entered the Headmasters office to see Ginny sitting in the chair. Later after they left the headmaster office, the woman looked ready to kill as Ginny told her story "I will inform your parents."

"NO." The older woman looked at her." I'm seventeen now. You can't without my say. And why? I mean it would only hurt them and then Voldemort gets what he wants. No."

"Ginny this is a terrible thing that happened to you. You will need help to get past this."

One month after the final battle, Ginny came down the stairs of the Burrow. Her mother was in the kitchen." Good morning Mum. Has- has everyone else left for the day?" she asked as she looked around the room.

"Morning dear. Yes Harry and Ron left a few minutes ago, why dear? You must be hungry."

Ginny's stomach did a flop." No Mum I'm not hungry." She paused. "Mum if I tell you something will you promise not to overreact?" Ginny decided to tell her mother first.

Molly felt something big coming. "Of course sweetheart." She sat at the table looking at her daughter.

Ginny sat across from her mother. "Mum, I'm pregnant." She felt starting with the news of a baby would soften the rest of the news.

Molly looked somewhat happy, "Oh Ginny, I'm sure that Harry will..."

"Harry's not the father. Something happened a few weeks before the final battle." Molly's face grew gray."Mum I was taken by the Carrows to where Voldemort was." Molly gasped, "No thank god it's not his. But he ordered someone else to. He would have killed their family. Mum I heard from Luna what happened to her, I was lucky. This man did not want to do it. He knew that someone would be listening at the door. He was gentle and as weird as it sounds, kind about it. I don't have any real bad feelings towards him. I could see it in his eyes that he did not want to do it. But Voldemort would have known if he did not." Molly was crying now. "Mum it gets worse; it was Lucius Malfoy."

Molly sat quite still trying to decide how to react as she played with the hand towel. Finally looking at her daughter, she spoke. "What would- do you want to do about the baby?"

"I want to keep it. I know I'm young but I spoke to Professor McGonagall. She said that I could do most of the school year from home, only having to go to the school for tests and such. So I could finish."

Molly was hurt." You spoke to her before me?"

"Mum only she and Professor Snape knew and they could not tell you without me allowing them to. I made them promise, it would have only hurt you and dad, mostly dad, and that was what Tom wanted. I was not going to have anyone hurt or killed because of me. And with dad's feeling about Malfoy well you know. Mum how am I going to tell him? "

Molly laughed "I'll put him in a body bind curse before you tell him which we won't remove until he calms down."

Arthur remained in the Curse for twelve hours before he calmed down. As much as he hated Malfoy he believed his daughter would need her father for support. And he could not do that if he was in Azkaban for Lucius' murder.

**Chapter 1**

Five years later

Ginny was leaving the joke shop where she took care of the business end of things for George, most of which she could do from home. Fred had told George that if anything happened to him that Ginny should have his share of the business. Both twins always had a soft spot for her. Maybe because she was the only girl, but she was their favourite sibling. She had her daughter with her. "Mummy I forgot my doll in the shop."

"Kyra, go get it. I'll wait for you." They were only a few feet from the shop. As her child disappeared into the shop. Ginny looked at the display in the window of the next shop.

"Miss Weasley?"

Ginny turned around to see Lucius standing behind her. He had spent five years in Azkaban for the crimes he did commit but because he did not fight in the final battle and gave a lot of evidence against others, his sentence was light. He was released a few weeks ago. "Mr. Malfoy, hello. I heard about your wife. I'm sorry." Ginny knew he had a right to know about Kyra. Kyra had more of a right.

"I thank you. I have spent the last few years wondering why you never pressed charges," he said.

She looked at him. "As I recall, neither of us had much say in the matter—"

"Mummy, mummy look at what Uncle George gave me!" She was holding a trick cauldron.

Ginny smiled at her "Of course he did dear. I want you to meet someone."

Lucius looked at the small child's head. She had strawberry red hair Weasley did reproduce quickly. Then the child looked at him. Her eyes were the same eyes he saw every day when he looked in the mirror. This was his daughter.

"Kyra Marina, this is Mr. Lucius Malfoy. Lucius this is Kyra." Ginny never planned on hiding her from him.

The girl offered her hand as she looked the man up and down, trying to decide if she liked him. Final speaking "Hello." She turned her head a little if she was older one would say she was flirting.

Lucius looked at Ginny than at the child; he crouched down so that he did not look quite so intimidating to her. "Hello, Kyra. You're very pretty." She smiled at him. He rose again looking at her mother. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but we need to talk."

"Yes we do but right now is not the time or the place. I free most of the time, let me know when, and I will make sure that I'm available."

He looked at Kyra as Ginny spoke, "The sooner the better, tonight around seven." She gave him her address and left.

At six forty five Ginny returned to her small house after leaving Kyra at Shell cottage. Bill and Fleur were babysitting overnight. She picked up the last of Kyra's toys and put a pot of tea on. And then tried to relax. She bought the cottage last year, she received a good amount of money from the shop and with living with her parents she was able to save for the house, which she was quite proud of.

At seven on the dot there was a knock on the door. Her stomach flipped a little. She took a deep breath. Then went to answer the door. She put a smile on her face. "Hello." She paused. "I'm not sure what to call you."

Lucius looked at her. She was older than when he last saw her, but still so young. "I guess Lucius would be appropriate."

"Lucius please come in." She welcomed him into her home. He looked around his surroundings. Well it was small, it was in good repair, and clean. As he took his seat, she sat as well.

"I assume that Kyra is our daughter." He chose the word ‘our’ carefully. He knew all too well of the Weasley temper. Much to his surprise he was pleased to find out he had another child. Even if she was part Weasley, At least she was still pure blood, even if her mother was from a family of blood traitors.

She looked him in the eye,"Yes, I never planned on not telling you. However I was informed that a trip to Azkaban would not be good for me or her when I was pregnant and after I – well I didn't think there was any use telling you well you were there."

"Why did you keep her?"

"I could never kill my own child. Or give her away." She was not backing down, showing no sign of fear much like that night.

"I would think she would be a reminder of an event you would rather forget."

"Forget I've heard that more time than I can count over the past five years. Men have a different way of looking at things. Yes I would have preferred my first time to be different, but rather than focusing on that I made the choice to look at the fact that I saw you change that night. You could have been cruel that night but you were kind to me. And after I heard what some of the other Death eaters did to a few girls I know. I was lucky. I know everyone including you think I should hate you but I don't part of that is because you gave me Kyra. I love her how I could do that if I hated you. I would hate part of her."

"You surprise my Ginevra. I would like to be a part of her life. Is that a problem?"

"I'm – I have never lied about who her father was to anyone I care about." He pulled out some papers and handed them to her.

"I had these drawn up this afternoon. Is a trust fund for her."

She glanced at it, not reading the amount, then handed it back. "You didn't have to do that." She smiled. "What type of role do you want in her life?"

He looked at her trying to decide what he thought she would have done. "I'm her father; I want to be one to her."

"Lucius, I know little about you. I'm not saying no but would you mind giving me a couple of days."

The next day Ginny stormed through the dungeons of Hogwarts looking for the man she shared an odd friendship with.

**Flashback**

After the battle Ginny released something, "stopper death" something Snape said at the beginning of her first year. Where did Harry go? She looked around, he was gone. Then she saw The Malfoy family, sitting together. Lucius was still a death eater maybe he'll know. She got up and walked over to the family, "Mr Malfoy do you know where Snape is?"

He looked at her, not understanding, "You heard Potter he's dead."

"But where, where is he?"

Lucius continue to look at her," The last time I saw him he was going to the Shrieking Shack." She turned on her heel and bolted out of the great hall out the main door and the stairs towards the Whomping Willow. Her dead brother told her about the passage. As she reached the Shack she slowed listening she heard nothing as she entered the room she saw Snape laying on the floor. He looked dead, she ran up to him and fell to her knees. Placing her ear to his chest and listening, his heart gave a faint thump.

"Severus, Please don't die. Come on I have to get you back to the school."

She barely heard him "Lily?"

She finally realized that it was Harry's mother she reminded him of. Ginny levitated him and got him back to Hogwarts. Madame Pomfrey was able to save him.

**End**

She walked into his classroom, which held no students. "Severus, where are you?"

He came out of the store room."Ginny, what are you doing here?"

"I need answers that I know that you can give me." He waited as he walked to the front of his desk leaning against it. "Lucius, he – I need to know besides the stuff that he was charged with what else did he do?" Ginny perched herself on the table directly in front him.

She was the same age as Lily when she was killed "Ginny, Voldemort did not always have all of us there. I can only tell you what I know. Which is not much. Most of it you already know. But when one first becomes a Death eater there are things that you have to do to prove your loyalty. Lucius would not have been any different. Why?"

"He wants to be a father to Kyra."

"Ginny, Death Eater are not nice people, we all did terrible things Lucius included, but you said yourself that he was as kind as was possible to you. There are many shades of gray. That being said Lucius was hard on Draco but he loved Draco more than anything. I think he would never let anything happen to her. I would say relax. Aloud him."

She smiled at Snape, "Thanks I don't know what I would do without you." She slid down. As put her hand on his cheek. "I'm very proud to call you a friend." She heard students coming down the hall "Don't take to many point from Gryffindor." She said as she left.

Ginny arrived back at her place. She floo'd Lucius and asked him to come by. He was at her door an hour later. "Thanks for coming." They were sitting at the table. "We need to lay down some ground rules. If you want to be a part of Kyra life. We you and I are from to have very different worlds, and our daughter is a product of both. To a four year old your world will seem like a fairy tail. I'm not saying that she has ever done without but I know her. She will manipulate to get what she wants, I have tried to keep her down to earth. Life isn't always perfect, we don't always get what we want. I will not let you walk in here and set her down a different path I need you to respect my wish and limits with her."

Lucius looked at her wonder in amazement. _How could she be so calm I've done things that have made_ _her life hell_? "That would seem fair."

She eyed him. "Number one, if you're going to be a part of her life then it's not just for a day or a week is for life." He nodded, "I'm sure that at some point you will be in the same place as my father, you must be civil."

"I'm sure your father has never said anything against me in front of her." Lucius sneered.

"Dad and the rest of my family, respect the fact that she is a Malfoy, they have all kept their personal opinions to themselves. Because they knew at so point she would know who you were and she needed to form her own opinion of you." He looked surprised. "I don't want to hear any of the stuff about pure bloods being better than others. Kyra has family who are not all pure blood and she does not need to be confused."

"I understand. Is there anything else?"

"I can add or change the rules at any time."

He laughed at this. "I assumed that, that went without saying. You are a woman."

She laughed, George said that all the time.

"It must have been hard for you."

"It was but there is the old saying whatever doesn't kill only makes you stronger. There's one more thing." She looked straight into his eyes. "Why did you give me Tom's dairy?"

He knew this would come up. "It was not about you or the matter of who your family was, at the time I truly believed Voldemort's way was the only way. It was more getting the dairy into Hogwarts. It was a crime of opportunity."

"I can accept that."

"Tell me about Kyra?" He hoped she would be here but knew he would have to do things at her speed.

She smiled at him, "She has wrapped everyone around her finger. She knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to get it. I think she will end up in Slytherin. When the time comes. Most of the family agrees with me George says, it would not be that bad. The hat wanted to put both him and Fred there. George is her favourite uncle; they think along the same lines. Would you mind if we let her get to know you a little before we tell her that you're her father."

"She has not asked about me?"

"No but I think that she does not realize everyone has a dad." He looked at her, not understanding. "She spent a lot of time with Teddy Lupin, so I don't think she has realized that she is missing anything, yet." He nodded. "This is very weird for both of us I know, but I think we need to be open and honest with each other. Kyra is smart and will pick up on any tension between us." He looked at her, he knew men twice as old as her who could hardly speak, because of their fear of him. Here she was laying things on the table. Like it was nothing.

"You were at the ministry with Potter weren't you?" He was not totally sure.

"Yes."

"You cast some very strong curses that night. I think that Kyra will become a powerful witch. I never would expected you to be at the time."

"I’m not sure if that was a complement. Oh one other thing, Please don't make the mistake of giving her something the first time you meet her. I don't want her to come to—" she looked for the right words." Let me rephrase that. If you give or buy her something she will expect it all the time."

Lucius smiled. "That would be the Malfoy in her."

"I thought that kind of thing was a learn behavior. There's a lot of Malfoy in her. You will soon see that. When do you want to see her?"

"If it's alright with you the two of you could come to the manor tomorrow for lunch."

Ginny thought of what she had heard of the manor. And she knew her child, "If it is okay with you I would rather not have her see the manor until after she has bonded with you."

He laughed at this. Ginny noticed how nice he looked when he smiled. "She is a Malfoy and you think seeing the manor might cause her to," he now searched for the right word, "take more of a liking to me faster."

The next day Ginny and Kyra were playing outside, when Lucius arrived. He watched as Ginny and Kyra played some type of tag. Ginny was playing at the child level. He watched as Ginny caught Kyra pulling her down to the ground and tickling her. Kyra's laugh was high pitched. Narcissa never did that with Draco. "Mummy that man’s here." His daughter's voice broke his thoughts.

Ginny looked behind her _Shit I must have lost track of time._ She had planned on changing Kyra into some of her better clothing. She could just imagine what he was thinking. Kyra was wearing jeans and a tee shirt and runners. "Lucius, um – Hi, would you like to come in?" She said as she got up off the ground. As they walked up the house, Ginny brushed herself off. Once they entered Ginny told Kyra to go and wash up for tea. The little girl obeyed her mother. Ginny explained she lost track of time.

While she made tea Lucius finally asked; "Ginevra, you don't seem to work, what are you doing for money?" She stared at him. "You have a nice home, I was just wondering."

She smiled releasing it was a fair question, "I work from home most of the time for George for the joke shop. I earn a fair amount. And I can stay home with Kyra. I didn't want someone else spending that much time with her. When is time I think I'm going to have a hard time sending her to Hogwarts. Where did that child get to? Pardon me." She left the room. Lucius could hear Ginny talking to the girl. "So this is what you're up to." A couple seconds later, the two reappeared and the young girl had changed into a light blue dress. "Kyra you remember Lucius Malfoy."

Lucius watched as his daughter eyed him up and down. If she was older he would have thought she was calculating the total value of his clothing. "Hello sir."

He realized he had no idea how to deal with a little girl. "Hello again, Kyra." He looked up at Ginny. Hoping she could help him.

"Well teas ready. How about we all sit down?" Kyra led them into the living room. As Lucius took the tray for Ginny. He said "I don't have a clue what I'm doing."

Ginny gave him a warm reassuring smile," Just follow her lead and relax, after everything you've done don't tell me you're scared of a four year old girl." _Did I just tease him?_

He spent three hours there, getting to know Kyra. Once Ginny felt he had relaxed she had gone into her office, to give him time with her alone. _Had someone told me a few years back I would leave Lucius alone with my child I would have had them locked up. But he is being really easy going about this. Should I be worried? No I don't think so. Taking her away would hurt her as much as me. He would never allow his child to be hurt. She's fine._ She heard a tap on the open door looking up from the books to see him standing there. He was holding the sleeping child in his arms.

"She fell asleep, well listening to a story."

Ginny looked at the clock, it was a little early for bed, but she had a long day. “Oh well lets get her to bed." She said as she got up leading him to Kyra's room. The room was done all in purple and blue with a few pink accents. The cupboard door was open revealing that the child was a clothing horse; the bed was a canopy bed. There was a toy chest at the foot of the bed.

Lucius laid her on the bed. Ginny used her wand to change her into a nightgown. Lucius pulled the cover over her. Placing a kiss on her forehead. He and Ginny left the room. "So what do you think of your daughter?" She asked.

"I think you have done an amazing job with her. And I can see The Malfoy in her.” He looked into warm eyes. He shook his head.

"What?" Ginny asked. They were standing in the hall, face to face with only the light from the office.

"I have a daughter with a woman I've never even kissed. It's odd. And to think that Arthur Weasley is her grandfather makes it more unbelievable."

Ginny felt a little uncomfortable. “Someone once told me that sometimes the darkest moment produce the brightest light. Do you now understand why I can't hate you?"

"Thank you for this gift, Ginevra. But I should be leaving." He had the great desire to kiss her. And he did not want to do anything to jeopardize things with Kyra, by scaring Ginny off. She nodded and walked him to the door. "I would like to help financially."

Ginny shook her head, "No were just fine. I don't need anything."

"There must be something I can do?"

"Please, Lucius, just be a good father to her. I know your past, but I also know that you did what you had to protect Draco. Promise me that you will care for her the same way. And don't make me regret letting you into her life."

He looked her in the eyes, "I won't. I promise you that without question."

"So how did it go?"

Ginny looked at her old potions Master." It was odd. After Kyra fell asleep, I would almost use the word inmate. For a second I thought he was going to kiss me." Kyra was asleep and Snape was over.

After she saved him they became incredibly close. He enjoyed having a friend like this. She could pour her heart and soul to him. And he found it almost too easy to be around her. He allowed her to say things no one else dared. She challenged him to be better. They both could tease the other. He knew that Lily would always be the only love of his life. But now five years later he knew he loved Ginny but differently. It was pure and honest. It was not romantic at all. He thought that maybe it was the fact that they share a similar experience. Hurting friends; him causing Lily's death, her causing friends to be petrified, for Voldemort and almost dying at his hand.

"What would you have done if he had?"

She was sitting on the sofa, her leg curled under her facing him. The room was lit only by the fire. "I don't know. I can't even begin to guess. I mean the whole world; present company excluded, thinks I’m crazy for not hating him. I don't know. Maybe I am, what do you think?"

He stared at her for a minute. "I think we both know how bad things could have been. I saw what happened to you," She allowed him to use Legmencey on her shortly before telling her family what happened. "that's why I don't think you're crazy. I do think you have a great gift of empathy."

"Thank you."

"And if we’re both wrong about him I will personally Avada Kedavra. What kind of god father would I be if I let anyone hurt either one of my favourite girls? On that note I have to get back. I swear the kids become denser each year." She walked him to the door. "Thank you for supper. It was great as always. Good night Luv." He gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Over the next few weeks Lucius spent a lot of time with Kyra. Ginny was always nearby, but always gave them the space they needed to work on the bond that needed to form between them. Lucius was amazed by the Kyra daily. She was smart for her age, she was determined, she did not back down, even when she should. But she was sweet, had good scents of humor, and was charming. Lucius found himself pitting her future husband. Not that he wanted to think about her being old enough to marry. Finally the day came when Ginny felt it was time to tell Kyra who Lucius really was. He had stayed to put Kyra to bed that night, "Lucius, I think it's time we told her." as he was about to leave. He looked down at Ginny; she only came up to his chin.

"She will have questions, perhaps you and I could talk about this first."

"Sure, I'll see if Mum can watch her tomorrow. Say around seven you could come by."

He looked at her for a moment. "Get someone to watch her but, Why don't I take you to dinner. Some place where there's no children's menu."

"Lucius, you don't have to do that."

"You are correct I don't, but I want to." He could see her hesitation. "Ginny you have given me a child and I have never even taken you to dinner. Please allow me this."

She shook her head as she said "Fine."

He looked at her "What are you thinking?"

She looked up at him seeming a little nervous. "You really want to know?"

"Yes."

"Don't take this the wrong way. But do the other death eaters know that you're this nice?"

"If you tell only one I can't be held accountable for my actions" He laughed.

Lucius picked Ginny put at seven. He had made reservations at an upscale restaurant on diagon alley. When Ginny answered the door Lucius was pleased with how she looked in the non mummy wear. She wore a dress that was cream with a black over laid it had thin little straps over her shoulders. Her hair was done so that it felt in soft curls. And her makeup was flawless. If he had not known she was a woman he knew now.

By the time dinner came they had decided what to tell Kyra. Once she was older they would tell her the whole story. Once she goes to school some of the other children could have an idea what really happened. "Ginevra, may I ask you something very personal?" Lucius asked.

She looked unsure for a minute then realized that she might seem childish. "You can ask but I can say I will answer."

He smiled. She was smart to hear the question before you say you will answer. "Fair enough. Not take this the wrong way but I was surprised that you were still pure."

"Yes, well um." She realized she was being silly, "think back to when you were young. So you’re fifteen or sixteen and your girlfriend has six brothers. Now let's look at those brothers. Ones a curse breaker who was attacked by a werewolf. One works with dragons, Percy well he's Percy, then there's was the twins owners of a joke shop, with quite the reputation for getting even in a big way. And the last one, well he's Harry Potter’s best friend. And then Harry himself an honorary Weasley. Would you- no the average boy try anything more than kissing?"

He raised an eyebrow "You did not try dating any Slytreins did you."

She faked shock, "That would go against the Gryffindor code of behavior."

"This is any odd dinner conversation isn't it?" He realizes she was innocent.

"We don't exactly have a conventional relationship, do we?"

"I have not asked for weeks but please let me know how your father reacted to the news."

She looked up at him, "You are evil." She looked down, the family could laugh about it now. "Okay but if you ever tell him I told you, you will wish for death. I told mum first I need a test run on what I was going to say. After I told her she helped with dad he was in a body bind for over twelve hour but I started telling him that I was pregnant then that I let him to think that it was Voldemort, so in the end you didn't seem as bad as it could have been. In comparison, who would you want as the father of your grandchild?"

"Why did you keep her?"

"I could not kill her. And I knew you weren't all bad. After that night and after the final battle, I hear what some other prisoner went through. I know what could have been. And if I gave her away, well we both know they can tell who the parents are, I did not want so one to get revenge for something the Death Eaters did to someone else. Plus the fact that in real upset Ron did not hurt." She laughs at the end.

He gazed at her. She clearly had more brains than most girls of her age. He thought of some of the girls he had seen Draco with and was thankful. "You don't get along with Ron very well do you?"

She smiled thoughtfully," Were closest in age, I guess he always saw me as the tag along. And I felt his resentment. I guess it's normal."She paused. "It's my turn, do you still – "

He knew what she was going to ask."You want to know if I still share Voldemort’s beliefs." She nodded "Yea and no. What you have to understand is that pure bloods must do everything possible to keep our number greater than the Muggle born. Meaning we should also not dilute our lines. That may seem harsh but if we don't there will come a time when Muggle born will be the only magical persons. If you look over the years the number of squibs rises at an alarming rate. And if you take a look back the high majority if you follow their family tree there is a muggle or muggle born directly related. That having been said, now think of the witch hunts. Innocent people were cruelly killed because Muggles are scared of what they don't understand. So Muggle and non muggle were killed. Now some of the non muggle didn't not have to, and if they had been trained in magic they would have never been known. And souls would have been saved. So yes Pure Bloods should try to remain pure and no I don't think we should go around killing someone because of whom their parents were. Does that answer your question?"

"I never looked at it that way. But we both know the number of pure bloods is rapidly declining." She replied. "So how do we stop that?"

"That is the question. But I would like to go back to you. Did you finish your seventh year?"

"Yes, But I did it from home mostly only going to Hogwarts for tests and such. I work with George at the shop too. I wanted to be able to say that I took care of all of Kyra's needs."

"You truly lost your childhood that night. I'm sorry. "

"I understand why you say that but I'm not, look at her. My god, before it happened I would have thought someone was crazy if they told me that the greatest love of my life would be a Malfoy. But I would give anything for her."

"Draco said something about you having dated Harry Potter. He would have thought that you would have married him."

Ginny played with a couple of green beans, well she considered her answer. "He offered after I told everyone. But I – Well after the battle I found out that I reminded a few to many people of his mother. I found it a little too creepy. "

Lucius thought for a moment. Ginny could tell he was looking back into the past. "I can see it now. But if you think about it, it's little wonder he has a mummy thing going." He paused, "Ginevra I want Kyra to have my name."

"I'm fine with that. I was wondering, have you told Draco about Kyra."

"Yes he wants to meet her. I was waiting until we told her."

They decided to meet the next afternoon to tell Kyra. Kyra had spent the night at the Burrow. Ginny went over the next morning to pick her up. Ginny arrived at the Burrow by Floo. The kitchen looked just as it did when Ginny was four. She breathed in the smell of home. A mixture of the fire, floo powder, and her mothers cooking. She walked over to the cookie jar and grabbed a homemade cookie. As she bit into it she knew no matter where she goes in the world or how old she gets this place would always be home. In that second she also saw many memories of things from her own childhood all the way to seeing Kyra take her first steps across this room.

Her mother came in from the yard "Hello dear."

"Morning Mum. How did it go last night?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, Good, Harry and Teddy spent the night here and Fleur dropped Vicky off an hour a go. They're all playing outside. What about you?"

Ginny sat down at the table, "Good, it was nice to not have to cut someone else's meat."

Molly smiled in understanding, " He didn't try anything then?"

"Mum, it wasn't a date. And Merlin he's old enough to be my father. And for the record my ironing board has tried more."

Molly laughed. "Do you want him to?"

Harry came in from the garden. "Lu Gin." Placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"Morning Harry."

"Ginny I swear if I hear Lucius this or Lucius that one more time."

"You won't after today. It will be Daddy this and Daddy that." Harry groaned. "Now you'll be special to her."

"Gin come on, let just run away and get married."

"OH Harry, I already told you I love you to much to complicate things with sex. Beside what would Luna say?"

"Mummy, mummy, Uncle Harry took me flying." Kyra ran to her mum and gave her a huge hug.

"That's good dear, we have to get back home. Lucius is coming for tea."

"I get my dolly."

Harry rolled his eyes.

Lucius arrived on time. He seemed like a small child himself. As Ginny took his cloak he whispered to her "I got her a gift. I hope you don't mind."

Ginny smiled, he had obeyed the rules and as a father he showed real control. "I think that's fitting. Let's tell her." He grabbed Ginny's hand and led her to the living room where Kyra was playing.

Kyra looked up and saw Lucius. As she got up and ran over to him she said "Lucius. I'm so glad you're here." She gave him a big hug.

"Kyra, Lucius and I have something to tell you." Ginny sat on one end of the sofa and Lucius on the other with the small girl on his lap.

"What?"

Ginny began, "Well honey, you know how Victiorie has a Mummy and a Daddy. And how Teddy's Mum and daddy are gone to heaven, well sweetheart Lucius is your daddy."

The child looked at Lucius then back at her mother, "No!"

Ginny's eyes grew big, "Sweetheart, that's not nice."

"He can't be my daddy." She was now off Lucius lap. "Cause Daddy lives with mummies like Uncle Bill and Auntie Fleur and Uncle Harry is just Teddy's pretend daddy and he lives with Teddy." Ginny looked at Lucius with remorse in her eyes.

"Kyra, there are many different families. But I am your father and where I live has nothing to do with how I feel about you."

"So you can be a Daddy and have your own house?"

"Yes. Now I have a gift for you, for both of you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out two matching black velvet boxes. He handed one to Kyra and the other to Ginny.

As Ginny took the box from him, and their eyes met hers saying 'you didn't have to.' 

His said 'Yes I did.'. Kyra opened hers with a squeal followed "Oh Luc- I mean Daddy is pretty, will you help me." She was jumping up and down, something she did quite often.

As Lucius took the silver locket out of the box he turned it over, "Kyra see here it says 'Love Daddy No matter what comes' Always remember that." Ginny watched the exchange but she pretended not to look at her. Once she actually looked at hers it was the same as Kyra only in gold "Yours is inscribed too." She turned it over to read." There is no way to express my thanks."

Kyra said as she began to run to her room," I want to see how it looks on me."

"I got you gold because it reminded me of your Gryffindor bravery. Another thing I'm thankful for. And well we’re on the topic of thanks, I also wanted to thank you for not informing me well I was in Azkaban." She looked confused" Knowing what I was missing would have just made my time there that much harder. Here let me help you with yours too." He took it out of the box as she turned her back to him and lifted her hair. He dropped the locket over her head and as he fastened it found himself wanting to kiss her neck.

"Thank you Lucius."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Just a few of things to keep in mind as read this chapter  
> One - Lucius is a convicted Death Eater.  
> Two - I don't think any court would just give him visitation rights in view of his opinion of the Weasleys which was made clear in the past. So it's important to stay on Ginny's good side. This fact will apply to Draco as well.  
> Three - Kyra is still a pure blood even if her mother comes from a family of blood traitors.  
> Four – Lucius is not a saint. I never said he was. But as we saw in DH family does mean everything to him. And we will see some of bad Lucius in the future.

On Saturday morning Ginny got herself and Kyra ready to go to Malfoy manor for lunch. She was nervous as she had not seen Draco since the final battle, and she knew he must have matured or at least she hoped he had. She decided that if he did not start calling Ron a weasel or Harry scar head in front of Kyra that that would be good.

Ginny dressed herself in pale blue robes; the colour made her hair look even better than normal. Her hair fell in soft waves down her back; she wore a little make up. Kyra was very happy to wear some of her best robes; they were the perfect shade of blue as well. The child loved to look good. Ginny had put Kyra's hair into a French braid.

Kyra was bouncing up and down with excitement about seeing her father's house. Ginny was worrying that if she bounces like that at the manor she might break something expensive. Lucius was due to arrive to take them over any minute. Ginny decided that maybe if Lucius said something to Kyra about the bouncing it might help more than her repeated pleas for Kyra to not jump. Anything was worth a try at this point. The wards around the house went off announcing Lucius' arrival. That also started a new round of Kyra bouncing. "Kyra, remember when we're there don't touch anything without being told you can. Just like in grandpa's shed."

"I know Mummy, but Daddy's here!" She started jumping all over again. Ginny rolled her eyes and went to greet Lucius at the door.

"Hello. Lucius." She smiled warmly at him as she opened the door.

"Hello Ginevra, Kyra." The little girl threw herself into his arms.

"Daddy we're going to see your house today and have lunch there and I can't wait! Can we go now?" Kyra said without taking a breath.

Lucius looked at Ginny who smiled at him "She has been like this since eight a.m."

Lucius smiled. "Well don't you look lovely today Kyra. I see you're ready as well."

They Apparated to Malfoy manor. It was just as big as Ginny had heard. The grounds were beautiful and the manor was in perfect condition. "It's beautiful, Lucius."

He nodded "Thank you. Some of it is over one thousand years old." As they walked to the front door, the doors opened automatically. Kyra entered first and let out a scream. Ginny and Lucius were right behind her. Ginny saw the house elf that caused the scream and smiled as she dropped to her knees.

"Kyra, honey it's okay. This is a house elf." She looked to Lucius for its name.

"Sully." Lucius supplied.

"Yes Sully, helps take care of your daddy's house. It's okay to say hello." The house elf looked at the child with affection.

"Sully? Hello."

"Miss Kyra. Sully is most happy to serve you." Ginny rose and Lucius took her cloak. She smiled at him again. "Lunch will be ready at one." Then the house elf disappeared.

As Lucius led them to a parlour, Kyra was looking at everything. Lucius looked at Ginny; he could tell she was nervous. He stopped and turned towards her."Would you tell me what's wrong?"

She looked at him biting her lip, "You don't know what he was like to go to school with."

Lucius sighed ."Ginevra, no one is perfect. He has matured."

"I guess I know. I am sorry. Let's do this." She smiled. They entered the parlour. It had hardwood floors that shone wonderfully and stone walls. The room must have been decorated by Narcissa; there was a sofa with a sofa table behind it, two wing chairs and a couple of end tables and a coffee table. Draco, who had been sitting in one of the wing chairs, rose to greet them.

"Weaslette," he said teasingly as he strode across the room. Then taking Ginny's hand, he kissed it. "It's been a long time. Father."

Ginny had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing; if he could play so would she. She however would pick her time. "Draco." She smiled.

Lucius picked Kyra up. "Princess, I want you to meet Draco. He's my son. Draco, this is Kyra."

Draco looked at her and smiled, "Well you are just as pretty as father said. Why don't you come and sit on the sofa with me and tell me about yourself?" Kyra almost jumped out of Lucius' arms to go with Draco, leaving Ginny and Lucius near the door.

"Did you let him know that she is her favourite subject?" Ginny asked.

Lucius, who had turned towards Ginny, just put his finger to his lips and arched his one eyebrow toward the sofa, saying without words let's just watch. His son and his daughter were bonding. Ginny thought about the fact that at one time this would have been her worst nightmare and laughed to herself.

After lunch Draco took a small box out of his pocket and gave it to Kyra. Ginny looked at Lucius. Kyra was already excited. "I forgot to tell him. I'm sorry." Lucius apologized

Kyra opened the box to find a silver bracelet." Oh thank you Draco! Mummy, Daddy, look!"

Ginny had to admit it was stunning.

Lucius convinced Ginny to stay for dinner as well. After lunch he showed them around the grounds. Kyra loved seeing the different animals. But her favourite was the horses. "Mummy please, please. Can I ride one?"

"Not today sweetheart, you're in your good clothes."

"But Mummy please! They're so pretty. I'll be very careful. Please mummy! I'm begging."

Lucius bent down to look Kyra straight in the eye, "Kyra. A Malfoy never begs. If your mother said not today, then you must wait until next time."

Kyra looked at her father with tears in her eyes. "But Daddy I've never been on a pony before, I just want to ride one before Vicky gets to." One tear slid down her cheek.

"Next time you're here I promise. In fact if it's okay with your mother I will get you some riding robes."

Tears were gone at once and Kyra was smiling. Ginny laughed; her four year old just manipulated Lucius Malfoy and he did not even notice.

At dinner Kyra questioned Draco endlessly, he answered any questions she had. Ginny was shocked to see how patient he was with Kyra, "Do you like Quidditch?" she asked her big brother.

"Yes. I played a lot of it in school."

She thought while chewing her food. "Did you like Uncle Harry as your Captain then?" The look on Draco's face was priceless; Ginny could not contain her laughter. Lucius almost choked.

"He was not my Captain. We were in different houses and different teams."

"But you must have been friends with my uncles." It was beyond the child's reach that anyone could not like her uncles.

Ginny was the first to think of something to say. "Kyra, Draco and your uncles did not get along very well."

"Why?"

Both men did not know how Ginny wanted to handle this so they kept quiet. "Why? Um- well I was not around when they first met. But I think that both Draco and your Uncles – well they did not see things the same way. And we both know how weird boys are." Kyra giggled at this. "So rather than talk about the problems, they instead decided to tease each other. Hurting feelings over and over again and no one would say sorry. Like I always say if you hurt someone's feelings you have to say sorry right away because the longer you leave it the harder it is to forgive." Ginny knew she could not paint anyone as the bad guy here. Even if she wanted to.

By the time they had dessert everyone could tell Kyra was getting tired. Lucius insisted on taking Ginny and Kyra home. And Kyra wanted her Daddy to put her to bed because his stories were different and newer than Ginny's. Lucius walked with Kyra explaining who some of the people in the portraits were. Draco offered Ginny his arm and walked with her. "She's really amazing Ginny. Dare I say maybe the best of both families."

Ginny was fighting to not tear up. So she had to make a joke. "Did you just say something nice about the Weasleys?"

He smiled at her. "I guess I might have. But I'll never again admit to it. So repeat it to no one."

She laughed, "Who knew that Draco Malfoy could be charming."

When they reached the main entrance Draco helped Kyra with her cloak "Next time you come and see me I will take you flying, okay?" Kyra smiled and nodded then yawned. "Good night Ginny." He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks again."

Lucius watched this and found it left a bad taste in his mouth. He picked Kyra up, "Let's get you two home."

Once at Ginny's, Ginny helped Kyra with her nightgown and then let Lucius tell her a story. Afterwards, Kyra gave her father what she called Butterfly Kisses and then went right to sleep without complaining. Lucius walked back into the living room. He realised as he looked at Ginny that he wanted to hug her. He always loved his son but the relationship between son and father was different from that of a father daughter relationship. Ginny smiled at him. "What is it Lucius?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"I would not ask if I did not." she said.

"I would do it all, again; every terrible thing. As long as the outcome was the same. I have done nothing to deserve such a gift. Thank you."

She smiled, "Sit down, Lucius. You know there was a time that I was scared that I would tell you about her and you would not want anything to do with her. I tried to think of what I would tell Kyra about her father – Well I'm just happy I did not have to go down that path."

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	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The next week or two had been very busy for Lucius. He had not seen Kyra in almost ten days. He found himself missing both her and Ginny. So once he finished with his last meeting at one in the afternoon, he decided he would go over to Ginny's to see Kyra. He was surprised not to see the two of them outside playing, so at first he thought they might not be home. However, after knocking on the door, he saw Kyra's face looking at him through the window in the door. It was clear Kyra had been crying, "Daddy I can't open the door."

He smiled at her, "Well, your mother will open it."

"No she's sleeping. I can't get her up."

Lucius was mad. What kind of mother sleeps until one in the afternoon and tells her child not to wake them up. He took out his wand "Alohomora!" He then entered the house. It hurt him to see Kyra upset as he hugged her. He looked around the living room and kitchen. Kyra had clearly helped herself to some milk and fruit. But still a child of her age should not have to fend for themselves. He set her down. "Princess I'm going to have a talk with you mother. You stay here." After putting her down, he turned on his heel and headed for Ginny's room. The door was open; he could see the lump under the covers. "Ginevra, I think it's time you woke up" he ordered. When she did not move he stepped close to the bed and reached out to shake her. Her small body rolled over, and then he knew why she was still asleep; she had dragon poxes. Along with the markings that could be seen on her face, neck, and hand she clearly had a high fever and chills. Lucius knew what Dragon Poxes looked like and could do; he had lost his own father to it. "Ginevra, we're going to get you taken care of." He pulled the covers up to her neck and left for the living room.

"Daddy, did you get Mummy up?" Kyra asked.

"Kyra, your mummy is very sick. I don't think she will be getting up for a few days at least. I must call a Healer." Lucius called a healer, who came to the house and confirmed that it was Dragon Poxes. There had been a recent outbreak and; St. Mungo's was only taking the sickest because of the high number of those infected. As it was highly contagious Kyra and he were quarantined with Ginny in the house; however because Lucius had been exposed to it before, he would not get sick. If Kyra did not get sick in the next two days she would be fine as well. After the healer left, Lucius decided to floo call the Burrow, as he knew that Kyra's sense of time was not the most accurate and there was a chance that they would also become ill.

Kyra looked worried. "Daddy who's going to take care of me?"

He looked at the small child and smirked. "Don't you think I can take care of you?"

"But you have to take care of Draco" she stated innocently.

Lucius chuckled to himself. Draco had been able to care for himself for some time now. "I think he's big enough to take care of himself. But I have to call your grandmother right now."

Molly was very surprised to see Lucius' head in her fireplace. "Molly!"

"Lucius, what can I do for you?"

"I came to Ginny's house and discovered that she has come down with Dragon Poxes."

"Oh my God! Has she seen a healer yet?" The concern was clear in her face.

"Yes, but with the current outbreak she is not ill enough to warrant a stay in the hospital."

"And Kyra? How is she?"

"At this point she is showing no sign of it. The healer says if she goes the next 48 hours without showing any signs she will be fine."

"Oh that's something at least. I'll be over in a half hour."

Lucius might not mind Molly as much as her husband but he had no desire to be holed up in a house with her for days on end. "Molly. I don't think there's any need for that." He could see the unhappy look on her face. "I am already contagious and do not wish to risk Draco coming down with it. But I have been exposed to it in the past so I will not get sick myself. I'm very willing to care for my daughter and her mother until it is safe for them to be around others again."

"But she needs her mother" Molly protested.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but I think Kyra said something about a wedding that is to take place at your home in the next couple of weeks. I'm sure that you don't want to come down with dragon poxes yourself, with all the work that you have ahead of you." Lucius did not get along with Arthur; he had less problems with Molly. "I promise to keep you informed of everything that happens."

"I don't like it, but you're right. Call if you need anything. And give both of my girls my love."

Lucius spent the next few days enjoying time with his daughter. His days were split up three ways; entertaining Kyra, caring for Kyra which included cooking and cleaning up after her he found that she loved to help and if he made a game of it all the better. Kyra did not complain as Draco had when he was her age, and the last part of his day was spent caring for Ginny; trying to keep her fever down and giving her the potions the healer left and ensuring that she got food and water. She was still hardly conscious and unable to do anything for herself.

On the second evening Lucius was giving Kyra a bath and it was then he realized that Ginny must need to be bathed as well. He would deal with that once Kyra was in bed and asleep. After he was sure Kyra was sleeping he readied things for a sponge bath for Ginny. However as he entered her room he realized that because of the rape she might not appreciate him washing her. But if she was clean it would only speed the healing. But for her pride he did grab a couple of extra towels to cover her with. He started by pulling her sheet high up to her chin, then he used his wand to make her nightgown disappear. He then took one of the towels and covered her groin and the other covered her breasts. He washed all but what was covered. Finally, he could put those parts off no longer; he was just going to bewitch the cloth to wash her breasts until he realized because of the yellow-green wet spot on the towel, that one of the dragon poxes that was on her breast was oozing. He removed the towel to check it, finding a large number of poxes; this area would have to be cleaned by hand so as not to pop any more of the poxes. He felt like a pervert handling her, as it caused him a fair amount of arousal. He tried to keep his mind on the task at hand. Once he finished he put Ginny in a clean nightgown and then sat her in the chair that was in her room while the bedding removed itself and was replaced with clean bedding. After he finished he wondered what had happened to him; he was playing nursemaid to a Weasley and did not mind. He entered the living room. Severus Snape's face was in the fire.

"Ginny is that you?"

"Severus, it's Lucius, What can I do for you?"

"Lucius, I had not heard from Ginny in a couple of days, we normally speak more often than that and I was concerned. Where is she?"

"Ginny has come down with Dragon Poxes."

"How bad? What about Kyra?"

"Not bad enough to be in the hospital. And Kyra is fine; she shows no signs of it."

"And the reason you're there, Lucius?"

Lucius was angry; how dare Snape question him. "I only found out Ginevra was sick after I was exposed. I didn't want Draco to become ill as well."

Snape nodded, "Tell Ginny I would be at a loss without her."

Lucius did not sleep well that night. He had dreams that he found disturbing. This was not the norm for him. He disliked how he was left feeling. As he made breakfast for Kyra and himself he looked at his daughter; she might have some answers for him. Kyra was sitting at the table. He smiled to himself. "Princess, tell me who comes and visits Mummy?"

"Lots of people."

Lucius thought for a moment, "What about people you don't see all the time at your Grandparents."

"Rebecca. Cindy, Sara, Hannah—"

Lucius could tell this might be a long list. "What about boys?"

"Oh, well, Dan came and took our pictures once. Neville sometimes comes and helps mummy with her plants, and Uncle Severus comes for dinner all the time."

He hit gold. "Oh I know Severus. He spends lots of time here?"

Kyra nodded. "He stays to talk big people talk after I go to bed. Mummy is always happy when he comes. Do you get happy to see him too?"

"You have no idea." he sneered. Lucius was in a bad mood for the rest of the day.

After Kyra was in bed he went to give Ginny the potion the healer left. He was pleased to see she was waking up. She seemed to be a little disoriented at first. Lucius sat on the side of her bed smirking as she opened her eyes "Welcome back to the land of the living."

"I feel terrible, what happened?"

"You've been quite ill with Dragon Poxes." She went to rub her face; Lucius grabbed her hand . "Careful! The Poxes are just scabbing over. You don't want to disturb them now."

"Where is Kyra?"

"It's late. She's in bed sleeping."

She tried to sit up but was quite weak. Lucius helped. "Don't take this the wrong way but why are you here?"

"I came by and found Kyra upset because she could not wake you. I found you very ill and we were all quarantined here. You need to take this and then get some sleep. Tomorrow Kyra will want to spend time with you." He helped her into a sitting position, and handed her a vial.

She took the potion from him. "You've been caring for me all this time?" After drinking it, she closed her eyes. "I feel a little light headed."

"Yes. Maybe you should lie back down."

She laid back down, and closed her eyes for a second. "Why?"

"Just call it penance for thinking badly of you." he replied. Ginny gave him a weak smile.

The next morning Lucius was up and making breakfast before Kyra woke up. As he was mixing the pancake batter he heard the tiny footsteps of Kyra moving down the hall. Once she entered the kitchen she walked over to her father and gave him a big hug. "Good morning. Daddy, I like you being here with me." Lucius smiled at her as he combed her hair with his fingers. He was beginning to think that she woke up at some point each night and tied knots in her hair.

"I enjoy being with you too. I have some good news for you. I think your mother will be well enough for you to spend some time with her today." He could see the excitement in her eyes. "But we must not overtax her. So as soon as she seems to be getting tired we must let her rest without question, okay?"

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

After two more days it was safe for Lucius to leave and life returned to normal at Ginny's. A week later Ginny went to her healer just for a check on her recovery. When she arrived there was another lady in the waiting room "Ginny Weasley to see Healer Banks." Ginny told the receptionist when she arrived.

"He's running a bit late Ginny. Just have a seat."

Kyra took off towards the toy area. "Actually, while I'm here I need to make a name change on Kyra's record." The woman pulled out a pad to write the change down. "Her last name needs to read as Malfoy now."

"How do you spell that?"

Ginny smiled, then continued, "M-a-l-f-o-y."

"No problem Ginny."

"Do I have time to run to the restroom?"

"Yes."

"Kyra, come with me for a minute."

"BUT Mummy I'm playing!"

The receptionist smiled, "I'll keep an eye on her. It's no problem."

"Thanks. Kyra, I'll be right back." Kyra nodded after the door closed behind Ginny.

The woman who had been reading a magazine got up and walked over to the desk. "Did I hear right? Did she say Malfoy? As in the Malfoys family of Death Eaters?" The receptionist nodded. "There's no way I would ever let my child have anything to do with that family, never mind bear that name. We all know what the Death Eaters did during the war."

"You're telling me! Half of my family spent the war waiting to be killed" said the receptionist.

The next day Ginny was getting herself and Kyra ready for Ron and Hermione's wedding. Ginny was to be Hermione's maid of honour and Kyra was to be one of the flower girls. It was a very warm summer day, perfect for a wedding. The windows at Ginny's were open to let some of the breeze in. Ginny had some of her favourite music playing. It was Muggle music; Madonna to be exact. Kyra had not been herself since their outing the day before. Ginny hoped it was just nerves. Ginny was finishing with Kyra's hair when Kyra asked "Mummy, what's a Death Eater?"

Ginny's jaw dropped. "Where did you hear that word?" She worried that Lucius may have talked to someone while she was sick.

"Yesterday at the Healer's. The lady said Daddy was one. They don't sound like nice people. What is a Death Eater?"

"Well, uh, let's see. Death Eaters. Well, it was kind of like a club of people. Like everywhere else there's good and bad. Yes, in fact your father, Draco and even Uncle Severus were Death Eaters, but none of them have ever done anything to hurt you and they never will. You don't have to worry, okay?"

"But those ladies said... "

"Kyra, your father loves you and I know that no matter what he did or may have done has nothing to do with you. All three, your dad, Uncle Severus, and even Draco love you. Don't listen to what other people say. You have to look at the facts you know and make up your own mind."

"Kay."

Unknown to Ginny, Lucius was standing outside of the house and overheard the whole conversation about Death Eaters. He had arrived just as Kyra asked the question about Death Eaters. He listened so he would know for himself just what Ginny was telling the child without him knowing. Lucius was pleased with how she handled it. She was honest and kept to the facts that the child needed to be concerned with when she could have torn him up. He slowly walked up to the door and knocked on it.

"Come in." Ginny's voice greeted Lucius. As he entered, he saw his daughter. Her strawberry blond hair was piled in curls on the top of her head, she was wearing a soft, cream colored full dress that came down to her mid shin. He was shocked to see how beautiful she looked. He then saw Ginevra; her dress was the same colour as Kyra's, however only some of her hair was pulled back. Her makeup was flawless. "Lucius, I was not expecting you."

He looked around trying to find the source of the music. Finally, he spoke. "Yes I know I did not plan to stop by –"

"Daddy, how do I look?" Kyra asked as she gave a slow spin to show off all sides.

He looked at her. "I don't think I've ever seen you look more beautiful, Angel." He again looked around the room for where the music was coming from. "Ginevra, what are you listening to?"

Ginny bit her lip, "Don't get upset, but it's Muggle music." She paused, but only for a second. She expected him to react, however his face remained neutral. "But to a degree, it's your fault, too."

He eyed her with interest. As he spoke his eyebrow rose," How so?"

"Well, after the whole chamber thing I was not quite myself. That summer we went on holiday to Egypt. While we were there Bill's roommate, a muggle born, liked to listen to this. When I heard it I felt better than I had in a really long time; everyone could see the difference. Bill went out and bought me a discman and this CD. I listen to it when I need to recharge. Can you give me a hand here? Put these flowers in Kyra's hair. I'll be right back."

Ginny stepped out of the room for a minute. Lucius looked at the little white flowers and bewitched them into Kyra's hair. As he did this he thought. When Ginny returned, the music had stopped and she had a handbag with her as well as a gift.

"I stopped by to tell you and Kyra that I was going to be out of town for about a week on business. But in light of your beliefs about me I would like to ask the two of you to come with me." Lucius said.

"Lucius, what on earth are you talking about?" Ginny replied. Kyra sat quietly just watching her parents.

"You seem to believe that I have no use for anything Muggle. I wish to show you a different side. Something most of the wizarding world is not aware of."

She eyed him suspiciously. "I'm sure there are a great many things most of the wizarding world does not know about you."

He sneered as he replied, "There are things even the other members of my club don't know about me or my life. But I want Kyra and you as her mother to know about me. Will you come with me?"

"I don't know Lucius."

"When was the last time you took some time off?"

"A week or so ago."

"You were ill. I mean a holiday. Yes I have work meetings and such. But the house is on the beach and it's a lovely spot. I would be around in the evening to spend time with Kyra. And you could do anything you feel like without worry about her."

She looked a little puzzled. "Lucius, why can you just Apparate for your meeting?"

He came closer. "People, like your father, have always believed that most of the money I have made was through dark business. In truth I have made most of it in an unbelievable way." She waited for him to continue. "I have a few very profitable Muggle businesses."

She looked like he could have knocked her over with a feather; she raised an eyebrow. "Muggle businesses?"

"Don't look so shocked. There are more Muggles and there is more money to be made in their world. I am a businessman after all and everything in business is supply and demand. There is a greater demand with them. I am not so arrogant that I can't see that. I don't have to enjoy what I'm doing to profit from it. Now, will you come?"

"Please mummy, can we? I want to see the beach." Kyra said, reminding them that she was still in the room.

Ginny felt as if she was in a parallel universe. "When would we be leaving? How long will we be gone for?" Ginny inquired.

"Tomorrow, say around four. One week give or take a day or two."

"That doesn't give me much time but I guess we can. But Lucius, we must get out of here or Ron and Hermione won't be getting married today."

"And that would be such a shame, wouldn't it?" he said sarcastically. He then remembered himself. "I will see you tomorrow." He turned to say goodbye to Kyra. "You have fun today, Princess." As he reached the door he spoke again. "And Ginny, only pack Muggle clothing." He closed the door with a wave of his hand.

Ginny realized she just agreed to go on a holiday with a Death Eater and she did not even know where they were going. She ran to the door after Lucius. "Lucius," He was just about to apparate but stopped. "Where exactly are we going?"

"California. Just outside of the city of L.A."

"Thanks."

One hour later Ginny walked down the aisle at her brother's wedding. She looked at Harry and gave a small smile to him. Thinking about the fact that he still didn't know why she did not want to be with him, few people knew. He was now with Luna and Ginny was happy for both of them. She now only thought of Harry as another brother. However, she never kissed any of her brothers; at least not like that. She watched as Ron and Hermione said their vows. She wondered if she would ever do the same. She then thought of the person who might want to marry her _. The_ _poor guy would have to put up not only with Dad, my five remaining brothers, Harry Potter. Severus Snape and now the publicly known Lucius Malfoy, father of my child. Oh God, I'll be single for the rest of my life!_ She moved towards Harry to walk back down the aisle. After pictures were taken, Ginny noticed Kyra was playing with the other children. She made her way over to George. "How's my favourite boss?"

"Hey you looked beautiful. All better?"

"Yes, But I'm going to take off for a week or so. Just some R&R."

"Oh really? Are you leaving Kyra with Mum and Dad then? Is there someone we don't know about?"

She sighed, "I wish. No. We, Kyra and I, are going with Lucius to L.A. the U.S.A. We leave tomorrow afternoon."

"Ginny." Harry walked up and George said to him, "Ginny's taking Kyra and going on holiday with Lucius Malfoy."

"Ginny, you can't he's-"Harry started.

"We all know who and what he is. We've all been through this before. Once when I told you about Kyra, and again when he entered her life. Lucius has been respectful of my wishes as far as Kyra goes. And if he was going to hurt me or her he could have done it while I was sick. Instead he cared for me and Kyra, seeing to all of our needs and never did anything. Now today is about Ron and Hermione. Please just drop it. If it will make everyone feel better I'll call you, George, every day. But drop it now." She walked away. Fleur's father asked her for a dance. She was grateful for that. Ginny had the same conversation three more times that evening. She was just happy that Ron and Hermione did not hear about her plans. She did not want to ruin their day.

Ginny was sitting at a table by herself when Fleur came over, "Ginny, you can't be mad at all of zem. Zey are jus' worried about you. I mean Lucius eez a powerful man, and zey don't want to see you get 'urt. Since 'e showed up 'ave you even gone on a date?"

Ginny looked at her sister in law and gave a little sigh. "No, but in my own defence would you want to go out with me?"

"Ginny, you are a beautiful, smart young woman. Why would you say somezing like that?", Fleur asked.

"I was thinking while Ron and Hermione were saying their vows that between Dad and the boys, which includes Harry and now Lucius, who will be around for a very long time... well I don't think there are too many guys out there that might even want to try dating me." Ginny said, feeling sorry for herself.

"Well yes eet could seem quite intimidating, but I don't tink you would want someone who could not face all of zat. Really, would you want a guy who always took off when Lucius showed up? Or who sat in total awe of 'Arry? No, you need someone who does not scare easily. And maybe doesn't tink of Harry as ze second coming." Fleur laughed. "You need to date Lucius."

Ginny was watching her family as the different members danced, talked and celebrated Ron finally coming to his senses about Hermione, then looked back at Fleur in shock. "Fleur! He's almost as old as Dad. And-"

"Ze lady she protest too much. Tink about it. 'E's good looking, very well off. Okay, he's fity rich, and at least 'e's not Draco. I thnk is either him or a muggle. Oh Ginny I'm only teasing! But if someting did ever happen zat way, as long as you were 'appy, I would be zere for you, you know zat, yes?"

Ginny looked at her. "Fleur, I'm not going to tell the rest of the family about this conversation for fear they might kill you and I would hate to see Victorie grow up without a mother."

  
  



	5. Chapter 5

Ginny spent the next morning packing her and Kyra's things and thinking about the fact that there were few men in the world who would be able to deal with the men in her life. She remembered Ron's reaction when she started dating. The only boy he was okay with was Harry, and after that ended the only guy who touched her was Neville and that was only a 'help you feel better' kiss. In her sixth year, boys were all too scared of what their world was coming to, or the fact that Harry was her last boyfriend kept them away. Not that she would have dated at that time; her heart belonged to Harry. Now that she thought about it, if Tom had not ordered Lucius to rape her she may have died a virgin. 

However, that was still the only time she was ever touched that way, but she respected herself and Kyra too much to sleep with just anyone. When she meets someone, she would need to get to know him very well and know that he was going to be around for a long time and that they were going somewhere. Before she would let him meet Kyra, he would have to prove himself. She would not sleep around like some women she heard about; she did not believe in having sex to have sex. And she would not send that message to her daughter.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in." she hollered. As she came out of Kyra's room she found Snape in her living room. He wore a sour face but she smiled at him. "Severus!" She came up and gave him a hug. "Sit," she gestured to the sofa.

As she sat Severus remained standing; he in fact began to pace. His black robes were swaying gently as he moved about the room. "I woke up to the most disturbing thing; Potter at my door. The only way I could get rid of him was by promising I would come and talk to you about the fact that you're going away with Lucius. Is that true?"

She laughed. "I knew I got off too easy last night. I'm sorry about Harry. And I'm not going away with him. I'm joining him and Kyra while he's away on business. It's nothing really."

"How on earth did he get you to go with him?" Severus mused. He finally sat down on the other end of the sofa facing Ginny.

"He's being really good with Kyra and he took care of us while I was sick."

"And did you ever wonder what he got out of it?"

"I know what he got out of it. He got the chance to drive my father up the wall by being here with us for days without any one around, he got to spend time with Kyra, and Draco did not get sick. Why does everyone think I'm a small child who has forgotten just who he is. I know he's the one who gave me Tom's diary."

"We all know that you know that. Your family is just worried about you. It's a great gift to have so many people who love you even if they are a pain in the ass." Severus offered.

"Does that go for Harry too?" she teased.

"He does- if you ever tell anyone- have a lot of his mother in him." He looked around the room. "Where is Kyra?"

"Dad should be bringing her anytime now."

"And Lucius is arriving when?"

"Not until about four. I planned it that way. I did not want the two of them to have to face each other. I don't think I'm ready for that just yet."

"You never did say how your father is doing now that he gets to hear how great Lucius is on a regular basis."

"I think he might bite his own tongue off one of these days but he has not said anything to any of the kids. Thankfully. Harry's having a harder time of it, I think." She knew that would make Severus smile.

Well, smirk at least. "Remind me to offer that girl money to talk more about her father to the boy wonder." Ginny laughed. "Well now you can tell Harry I came by. So I will leave you to your packing. Where exactly are you going?"

"The U.S. - California I think. Tell me I'm right: it's warm there."

"Yes. What business does Lucius have there?"

"He never really said. I'll miss you" said Ginny.

"I should be going, but let me know when you're back. And tell Kyra I have a potion I want her to try."

"She'll love that. She misses you, you know."

He smiled. "I really must be going now." He got up and moved towards the door. Ginny followed him.

"Thanks for stopping by. Once we're back will you come for dinner?" she asked.

"Of course you know I would not miss the chance to enjoy your cooking. Just let me know when and I am here."

"Of course; take care. "He nodded to her and left. Ginny returned to her packing, only to hear her father arrive with Kyra.

"Ginny, are you here?" he called out.

"Yes Dad. Hello Kyra! Why don't you go pick a toy to take. Just put it on top of the trunk in your room" she replied as she entered her living room again.

"Okay mummy, and I have sooo much to tell you." Kyra said happily.

"I hope it was not too much trouble after the wedding."

"No, you know your mother, the more people around the happier she is."

Ginny laughed, "Thanks for bringing her back."

"Ginny, are you sure about what you're doing? I wish you would rethink this!"

"Dad. We will be fine. I already promised George I would call him every day. You all can panic if you don't hear for me, okay? Please drop it; she's just in the other room." Arthur gave a knowing smile, and nodded. "Is there anything I can bring back for you?"

"I've heard about something called a cell phone. I'd love to find out how they work. Hermione's mother had one."

"I'll see what I can do. I love you dad. Kyra, are you going to say goodbye to your grandpa?"

By three-thirty Ginny was just about ready to scream because Kyra had not stopped talking. Kyra went from the wedding to what she and her cousins did to talking about Lucius and back to the wedding and so on. Ginny was at the point where she could not wait for Lucius to arrive just so she could have some peace. Ginny had checked and rechecked her packing, watered her plants, and put a charm on them so they would re-water themselves. Finally, Lucius knocked on the door; but louder was Kyra's squeal of" Daddy's here!" Ginny opened the door, smiling at him.

"Thank God you're here!" she said.

"Daddy, we're all going on a trip together! I packed all my things there in my trunk. Mummy said I could bring my doll. And I have some nightgowns and my swimsuit..."

"I'm pleased you're so ready Kyra, but it's not polite to give so much information" he explained as he picked her up to give her a hug. "Ginevra, I hear Kyra's all packed; can I assume the same goes for you?"

"Yes, but I'm not going to give a detailed list like some people."

"But I was looking forward to that list." He smirked.

Ginny turned red as she realised what he was getting at. "Mummy your face is all red; even your ears." Like Ginny needed it announced.

"Thank you sweetheart. I don't think I would have known if you had not told me. Lucius, how are we getting to California?"

"We will apparate to the Airport in L.A., then a limo will pick us up and drive us to the estate. Kyra," he placed her in a chair in the living room and knelt down to look her straight in the eye. "Daddy needs you to do him a big favour. Can you do that for me?" She nodded. "Well, on our trip we have to pretend to be Muggles. That means we don't talk about magic, we don't do any, I mean any, magic. Not even toys. There's a lady at the house. Her name is Mrs. Cadbury. She is a Muggle and she lives at the house. She must not find out that we are wizards. Okay?"

Ginny almost choked. "You have a Muggle in your employment, or do you just rent this house?"

"It's mine. I have to maintain the appearance that I'm a Muggle the whole time we are there. If my help is ever asked, my staff really thinks I'm a Muggle and everyone stays in the dark." Lucius explained to Ginny.

Ginny was still surprised by the fact that Lucius had anything to do with the Muggle world. She had wondered if she should have told her father, but decided to see what happens this week. She never heard about him having anything to do with the Muggle world, good or bad. So it seemed reasonable to say that maybe it was all on the up and up. She'd see, as long as it did not turn into a big Death Eater's convention. "Okay let's get going."

Twenty minutes later Lucius, Ginny and Kyra were sitting in a limo that had met them at the airport. As they rode to Lucius' house, Kyra talked her father's ear off telling him far more than Ginny knew he would ever want to know about Ron and Hermione's wedding. Ginny reflected on their arrival in L.A. They apparated into a broom cupboard at the very end of the terminal and when the coast was clear they exited. Then Ginny and Kyra went into the ladies room and once in the large wheelchair stall Ginny enlarged their trunks. Then they left the washroom where Lucius met them with a trolley for the trunks. Just outside they were met by Lucius' driver. Ginny now watched the view from the window. They had now left the city and were driving along a road that had many large gates and walls but once in a while she could see the ocean. Finally, the car turned up a drive through a gate that opened as if by magic. Then a large two storey white estate home came into view. It had many windows both up and down and all of the same size, and several white columns that went from the ground to the roof. Once the car came to a stop, the front door opened and a friendly looking plump woman with brown hair came out. She wore an apron over her black dress. The driver opened the door. Once out Lucius helped Kyra and Ginny out as well.

"Mrs. Cadbury, how are you doing?" Lucius asked.

"Fine thank you Mr. Malfoy. These are the guests you told me about, sir?"

"Yes, this is Ginevra Weasley," He indicated to Ginny.

"How do you do?" Ginny said, offering her hand.

"And Kyra, our daughter." Kyra waved at the woman.

"Pleased to meet you, Everything is ready just as you asked, Mr. Malfoy."

"Thank you Mrs. Cadbury. Ginevra, Kyra, come I'll show you around the house." As they entered the house Lucius had placed his hand on Ginny's lower back to guide her. He was surprised when he realized he had done so and that she did not pull away. He showed Ginny and Kyra around starting on the first level; all the rooms on that level were accessible from a long hall which ran along the front of the house. Each room had large floor to ceiling walk out windows that looked out over the estate. The rooms were all decorated in earth tones that varied from the lightest beige to terra cottas and earthy greens. But the view was all anyone really saw. There was a pool and deck with lounge chairs and a huge patio set, then the greenest grass Ginny had ever seen. At the end of the lawn were some palm trees and then the beach and ocean.

They were going upstairs as Ginny spoke. "Lucius, when you said you had a house I did not think for a second that you meant an estate, I mean this is stunning, for something you only spend a couple of weeks at every couple of years."

"Ginevra, one can have all the business deals they want but land is one of the few things that will always have value. And if you're going to have land it may as well be the best, most desirable piece of land you can get." There was a coldness about how he said it. "Kyra, this will be your room while we are here." The room was done in soft shades of blue, there was a queen size bed with white sheets and a blue duvet as well as many pillows. The walls were a couple of shades darker but still blue. "Here is the bathroom." Lucius opened the door to one of the biggest bathrooms Ginny had ever seen, Kyra could have a bath with five other children and there would still be room in the tub. The room was all white marble and there was also a walk in shower stall that more than one person could use at the same time.

"Lucius, this is a bit big for a four year old."

He smiled at her "You're worried about her getting into trouble, right? Which is why I put her in this room. " He walked into the bathroom and at the far end there was another door. As he opened it he continued. "And you're in this room." The connecting bedroom was just as big as the first and was done in sand tones with green accents.

"Thank you. This is great."

Lucius looked too pleased with himself. "Our things should be unpacked for us," He looked for Kyra who was asleep on her bed. "Ginevra, I need to be leaving in about an hour. Would you join me for something to eat before I go?"

They sat on the patio enjoying the view."Ginevra, if Kyra wants to play in the water only go in about as deep as your knees. This area has problems with riptides that can be quite strong. I would not want anything to happen to you or Kyra. If you want to swim, please use the pool." Lucius got up. "Paul, the limo driver, will be free in about an hour; he will take you anywhere you would like to go. But I must be going now. I will be back for dinner, around five. I would suggest letting Kyra sleep as long as she wants so she can get used to the time change. Have a good day."

  
  



	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

After Lucius left, Mrs Cadbury came out to the pool deck. "Ms. Weasley, I wanted to discuss the menu for while you are here. Would now be a good time?"

Ginny smiled warmly at the older woman, "Please call me Ginny, And now's just perfect; please have a seat." As the woman sat down, Ginny continued. "I'm sure you must be wondering about me,and Kyra-"

"If I can be blunt, it's not my place to wonder. You and your daughter are here as Mr. Malfoy's guests and that's all I need to know. However, Mr. Malfoy did say that you are the one whom I should go over the menu with. I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound mean but I'm paid very well to care for this house and it's not my place to ask questions." she smiled.

"I like you Mrs. Cadbury. What do you have planned so far?"

"Not too much; children can be quite picky at the best of times. And tomorrow being Mr. Malfoy's birthday, I was not sure if you had any special plans."

_ Tomorrow's his birthday! Oh boy! Kyra will want to get him something. _ "Well, would it be okay if Kyra and I made his cake tomorrow . I mean, do you mind if we use your kitchen?"

"Not at all Ginny."

Ginny and Mrs Cadbury went over what foods to avoid and what foods were must haves. "Mrs. Cadbury, could you tell me if there's a craft store somewhere nearby?"

"There's a really big one across the lot from the grocery store I'm going to later today. You're welcome to join me or Paul can take you."

"I think it would be great for Kyra to see how Mug-Americans shop for everything in one big shop and all. We will join you if you don't mind." Ginny was pleased she had gone to Gringotts first thing this morning, "But I only have pounds. I don't think your stores take pounds, do they?"

"No, but we can stop at the bank as well; you can exchange your pounds there."

They arrived back from shopping and Kyra wanted to go to the beach and play, so she and Ginny changed. When they got downstairs, Mrs. Cadbury had supplied some sand pails, shovels and other sand toys for Kyra. Ginny and Kyra spent the rest of the afternoon building sand castles. They were putting the final touches on one castle when Lucius arrived. He was wearing khaki walking shorts and a navy blue golf shirt., and his hair was pulled. back in a sleek ponytail."Hello, you two. How was your day?"

"Daddy, do you like our castle?" Kyra jumped up and hugged her father. Ginny smiled at him.

"That's one of the best sand castles I 've ever seen, but we should get you changed for supper."

Ginny rose and began dusting herself off as Lucius and Kyra picked up the sand toys. "How did things go today?" Ginny inquired.

Lucius looked at her and smiled. "Fine, thank you. Did Mrs. Cadbury go over the menu plan with you today?"

"Yes, in fact we joined her on a trip to the grocery store. It was very interesting." They were now walking across the lawn to the house.

"Ginevra, I will deal with Kyra, if you want to shower" he offered.

Ginny took him up on his offer, enjoying a nice cool shower. It had been a hot day so she enjoyed washing the sweat off her body. As they ate dinner, Kyra's eyes kept slamming shut but she was fighting it. Finally, she sat back in her seat and gave up. They both watched as her mouth fell open. Lucius waited a couple minutes, then picked her up and took her to her room. Once he returned, Mrs. Cadbury served dessert, "So, tell me what you think of L.A so far."

Ginny smiled, "It's really warm here but very nice. The grocery store was really very interesting, I can just hear Dad asking Kyra all about it once we're home."

Lucius chose not to comment. "What do you have planned for tomorrow?" he asked instead.

"I think we're just going to stay here, I mean, Mrs. Cadbury said something about Disneyland, and Hermione has given Kyra lots of Disney books so she knows all the princesses, but I'm not sure about the rides and how safe they are. I mean, I just don't know."

"I understand your fears, but I was wanting to ask you: I was thinking about the fact that I promised Kyra that I would let her ride on a horse. I thought I would take her to some stables after dinner tomorrow." Lucius suggested.

"I don't think I have to tell you how much she would love that."

Lucius looked at Ginny sitting across from him. She was a little darker than earlier in the day but was still beautiful. "Would you care to walk with me down by the beach? I really enjoy the sunset here."

Ginny eyed him as she thought about it ."Sure, but what about Kyra?"

"Mrs Cadbury will keep an eye out for her and we won't be far."

They had walked out to the beach and it was just before sunset. The color that the sky was already indicated that the sunset would be spectacular. They walked in silence for a long time. Once in a while Ginny would pick up a piece of driftwood and throw it into the water. The amount of strength she had was surprising. Lucius finally spoke. "Ginevra, I wanted to ask you something, I don't mean to pry, but I was wondering what involvement Severus has in your and Kyra's life?"

She turned towards him. "Severus, well that's a long story. And I get the feeling you want to know it. Of course you do or you would not have asked. Well, it all began the night Kyra was conceived. Once he returned with me to Hogwarts, I found out that Dumbledore asked Severus to kill him, and that he did not betray the Order. After that, he said I had to continue with the things Neville and I were doing so no one would get suspicious. Then after the final battle I brought him back to Hogwarts and we bonded. When I found out that I was going to have Kyra he pushed for me to be able to finish school. I was worried about how Kyra would feel, as she got older, about your past. I did not know at the time how you would take the news of Kyra. At the time you were in Azkaban, and there was your wife, who I knew nothing about except for second hand stuff from Sirius Black and Tonks. I had no idea what would happen once, or at the time if, I told you. But I knew I would never lie to Kyra, and that as she got older she would need to see that just because someone was a Death Eater does not mean that they are all bad. Severus is Kyra's godfather and one of my dearest friends; he even offered to marry me. But while I love him, I'm not in love with him. And his heart will alway belong to Lily Potter." Her hair was blowing in the wind. "Why do you ask?"

Lucius thought for a second; he was unsure himself, finally answering "Just something Kyra said. Children can have the most honest voices; it's just a matter of deciphering what they are saying. They don't always understand everything that goes on around them."

She moved closer towards him. "Yes, and Kyra is so willing to give all kinds of information away, doesn't she."

He nodded. "It must be a Weasley thing, or maybe a girl thing. Draco never did that."

Rather than getting mad, Ginny took the high road and moved even closer to him so there was about a foot between them. "Actually, he did; he just did it with a little more style than a four year old.' she baited him.

Lucius stood calmly, setting his jaw and resetting it, "Did he?"

Ginny laughed, "Come on Lucius, I know you know him. He may not have ever said it right out but it would have been less obvious if he walked around naked wearing a sign that said 'My Dad Is A Big Bad Rich Death Eater.' I don't think he knew at the time how to be subtle."

Lucius did not get mad at her for saying he was a Death Eater, mostly because of the way she said it. She was not saying it to cause a problem, instead just stating a fact. "Why are you so calm about that fact?"

She looked him in the eye; her own eyebrow rose. When she finally spoke, her voice was slow and steady. "Maybe because my first friend at Hogwarts was Tom Riddle." She turned and walked very quickly back to the house.

"Ginevra." She did not stop. "Ginevra, please." She just kept going. Lucius followed, finally catching up to her at the pool. He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him to see a tear running down her cheek. "Ginevra, I told you I'm sorry."

"You don't know what it was like; how scared I was. When I arrived there I already felt like just another Weasley. You pretty much summed it up that day in the bookstore; second hand stuff. Even my books. For years I dreamed about going to Hogwarts and then when I got there the sorting hat said it perfectly: 'Another Weasley! Gryffindor!' It never even took half a second to think or to find out if that was the right place. Then Harry and Ron's grand return to Hogwarts. My congrats for being placed in Gryffindor was an afterthought in a Howler to Ron. But there was the diary and Tom. He made me feel special. He understood how I felt. I trusted him and he made me do horrible things. I was eleven!

I was…I don't know what it was like. And after to realize that you weren't given the diary because you showed anything special, but because you were just another Weasley." The tears were now steadily falling.

Ginny did not see the tears in Lucius' eyes. He pulled her to him, holding her in his strong arms, gently rubbing her back and then he said "I am very sorry." He moved his hand up to her face causing her to look up at him. "You're not just another Weasley." He brought his lips down to hers in a very soft gentle kiss. It did not last long at all. "Come over here and sit down, we need to talk about this." He guided her to the lounge chairs and they sat down facing each other, their knees touching. "I said it before; it was not about you. Right now I get the feeling that in a way it would have been better if it had been."

"When Percy stopped talking to the family," Ginny continued, "Mum was so scared that he might join the Death Eaters, because he always loved power, was so ambitious, and because he might have to do horrible things. But no one would even admit to the fact that I had already done Tom's bidding, with- out question, for almost ten months. As little Ginny Weasley it was not my fault. I was just too stupid to know what I was doing."

"No Ginevra. Voldermort was very persuasive; he conned people much older than you, people with years more experience about not being conned than any eleven year old could have had. I myself was one of those for more than thirty-five years. Only after he ordered Draco to kill Dumbledore did I begin to see him differently, but even then I did not have the courage to go against it; he was a half blood orphan who was powerful. He found people with more money than him and he took their beliefs and twisted them into his own, making people believe if they helped him get what he wanted that he would give them what they wanted. People wanted and needed to believe, to believe in him and the more he asked, the more they did for him, even if it was against what they might do normally. After a while they found they did not even have the power to go against him. From what I hear, you did. At the age of eleven, you were trying to get rid of the diary; you must be proud of that fact. The amount of bravery you showed at the Ministry and again the night that I rape you." She shook her head. "Let me finish. After what happened to you, you did not quiver in his presence. In fact, you baited him, challenged him. I admire you greatly for doing that. But I think there are a few things you need to admit. I want to hear you say it. You need to say it to get past it. First about the diary." He looked into her eyes. "Say it; get a hold of your anger so you can move past it."

"You gave me his diary," she whispered.

"Not good enough; try again." Lucius took her hands in his.

"You gave me his diary." This time was a little louder.

"Again." Lucius ordered.

"You gave me Tom's diary." This time there was some anger.

She was close. "Again!" Lucius demanded, tightening his grip on her. She looked into his gray eyes. He could see the fire building in her brown eyes. "Again!"

" **You gave me the diary of a madman, and then raped me, because he told you to, you bastard!"** she screamed. Then more tears fell freely.

Lucius moved closer to her. "I am so sorry I did both to you." He kissed her, on the forehead this time. "I ask – no beg- for your forgiveness."

"I forgave you a long time ago," Ginny stated.

"Maybe you thought you did, but you could not until you admitted it. Take some time now before you try to forgive me. Do you think you can sleep now?" She shook her head. "Okay, would you be willing to tell me about Kyra's birth?" He wanted her to be thinking about something happier.

"I was really scared. Mum was with me the whole time. Kyra would not turn fully. They had to remove her from me. They could not use magic because the baby could move and any accident could be fatal to such a tiny baby. However, with magic they could heal her instantly.

"I wish I could have been there." Lucius said.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Ginny gave up trying to sleep at about six am as she had bad dreams for most of the night. So she rose and dressed in some running clothes and went down to the kitchen. Finding Mrs Cadbury unloading the dishwasher, she said "Good morning," trying to be bright. She walked over to the fridge and pulled out the orange juice. As she turned back, Mrs Cadbury already had a glass for Ginny's juice.

"Good morning, Ginny. How did you sleep?"

"My bed is wonderful and the room is great, however my mind did not want me to have a good night's sleep."

"I've been there before. I don't understand what Mr. Malfoy was thinking, taking a small child on a red- eye flight. Men! All they ever think about is business, leaving the women to worry about the children."

Ginny smiled. "Could you listen for Kyra? I want to go for a run and I'm not sure when Lucius will be up."

"Don't worry. I'm sure if she's like my grandkids she will want to help in the kitchen."

This made Ginny worry a little. "I should tell you she has quite the imagination."

"Can't be any worse than that Draco's. As a boy he would tell me stories about flying on brooms. The amount of detail he would give I almost believed he had really done it. He should have become a writer."

Ginny gave a nervous laugh. "Well, he is her half brother."

Ginny went running for over an hour, going over the dreams she had and the conversation with Lucius last she returned, Kyra was up and helping make pancakes Ginny returned to her room to shower and change. She had not told Kyra that it was Lucius' birthday. She wanted to surprise him with the cake and craft she and Kyra were going to make.. The craft was easy enough, but the cake was another story. Once it had cooled and it was time to put icing on it, Kyra demanded to do it by herself. Well, Lucius would have never had a cake that looked like this. But if he was a real man he would enjoy the fact that his daughter made it for him. At five o'clock Lucius returned home for the evening. They had supper, and as the dishes cleared the dishes from the main course Kyra went into the kitchen to help. To Ginny's surprise Kyra never said anything about it being Lucius' birthday,

Lucius looked at Ginny, "What's going on?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ginny replied innocently.

Kyra and Mrs. Cadbury reentered the room. Mrs Cadbury was carrying the pink iced cake with one candle on it and Kyra was singing Happy Birthday. Lucius eyed the pink cake in front of him, raising an eyebrow. It was Kyra, however, who spoke "I know the cake looks funny daddy but I really tried. I hope it tastes good."

"If you made it I'm sure it tastes great because it looks like the best cake anyone ever made for me." Ginny was not sure but she thought she saw some tears in his eyes. There was more to him that she saw with each day that passed.

Later he and Kyra went to the stables so she could ride for her first time. Ginny stayed at the house reading. After Ginny said good night to Kyra, she decided to go for a swim. She changed into a royal blue two piece suit and covered up with her bathrobe. She also grabbed a small stone basin, which she always traveled with because sometimes dreams of her first year at Hogwarts would get so bad she would have to remove then just to sleep, and a small vial whose contents were silver- gray. They were charmed to look like a book and pen to a Muggle. Once down at the pool, she put the basin and vial on the table. Removing her bathrobe she jumped into the water. It was dark out but still quite warm. She swam for at least twenty minutes before she heard Lucius on the pool deck. She stopped and treaded water in the middle of the pool, asking, "Is she asleep?"

"I did not even finish the first half of the story before she drifted off." He looked at her in the middle of the pool. "Are you going to come out and talk to me?"

"Not yet. There's another gift for you on the table. Why don't you have a look at it and we'll talk after."

"I was wondering what that was about."

"Looks like a pen and book to me." Ginny said. He walked over to the table and Ginny returned to her swimming. When Lucius finished Ginny was floating on her back near the side of the pool. She looked amazing; her body showed no signs of having had a child. The swimsuit she wore made her look very sexy. Her eyes were closed and it looked like she was meditating. Lucius grabbed her bathrobe and walked over to the stairs of the pool.

"Were we going to talk now?" he said loudly. Ginny rolled over and began to make her way to the stairs. Slowly emerging from the water, her body was wet and tiny drops of water were falling off of her. The light shining off her and the way she moved made Lucius relieved that he was holding her robe in front of himself. He held it open for her, and as she turned her back to him he got a great view of her ass right before the robe reached her shoulders. While she tied the robe Lucius muttered a spell that caused the blood to return to his brain instead of his groin. She twisted her hair to remove any extra water, then finally turned to face him.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"Amazing." He was talking about one thing and her about another.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it; at the time it was the scariest thing I had ever been through. But after, when I viewed it, it was one of the most beautiful things I ever saw. The birth of a baby is the most amazing thing." She sat down.

Lucius joined her at the table. "I'm surprised you allowed me to see it. How did you know it was my birthday?"

"Mrs Cadbury said something yesterday. Did Kyra give you her craft?"

"Yes. I want to thank you for both." He was trying to keep his eyes on her face, however, they wanted to travel down to the cleavage that the robe created.

"Well, I had to do something."

"I need to ask you a favor," she looked at him to finish. "Tomorrow I have a business dinner that I would prefer to keep more social and I was wondering if you would join me."

"I don't know. I mean, I would have to find a dress. After all, I only brought my mommy clothing, and what about Kyra?"

"I'm sure Mrs Cadbury will watch her," Lucius reassured her. "Will you join me?"

"Sure. I might find out what kind of business you have out here."

"Come in; it looks like it might rain any minute." He held out his hand to help her up. As she took it he pulled her up and towards him, until she was touching his body. "Do you have any idea the effect you have on men?"

She looked into his eyes which were steely blue. She could see the hunger within him as he brought his lips down to hers. There was force to the kiss but at the same time it was gentle. And boy did the man know how to kiss! Mind you, she had only kissed boys up to now. He wrapped his arms around her as she brought her hands up to his back. It felt like some of the twins' fireworks were going off inside her. Suddenly, a rain cloud opened up and it began pouring. They broke apart and headed for cover. Ginny was in a state of shock from the fact that she enjoyed kissing him. She needed time to think, so she just excused herself and retired for the evening.

The next morning, Ginny and Kyra spent extra time in Ginny's bed reading. Ginny did this to avoid Lucius as she was not sure why she kissed him or enjoyed it so much, but she was not quite ready to deal with it and just came down for breakfast around nine. As they were finishing, the phone rang, then entered the room. "Ginny, it's Mr. Malfoy on the phone for you."

Ginny got up and walked out to the phone in the hall. "Hello."

"Good morning Ginevra, I just want to let you know that I took the liberty of making an appointment at the best dress salon in Beverly Hills for you to select something for this evening. My treat. Paul will pick you up at eleven."

"Lucius, you did not have to do that."

"Yes I did. You're doing me a favor. It's the least I could do. We will need to leave about five thirty. And if you see anything else you like or need, get it as well."

So Ginny and Kyra spent the better part of the afternoon on Rodeo Drive, and found a dress and a needed bra to go with it as well as shoes and stockings. Paul then drove them to a hair salon where their hair was done. They arrived home, giving Ginny enough time to change into the dress she got and put on some makeup. Once she was all done, Ginny headed to the stairs. She could see Lucius standing in the entrance hall at the bottom of the stairs. He was wearing a black suit and his hair hung loosely around his shoulders. As Ginny began to descend the stairs, he turned to see her. She wore a deep teal dress that fell a couple of inches above her knee and clung seductively to her body. The straps sat just on the curve of her shoulders. Lucius smirked at her. "I knew having you with me tonight would help. They will take one look at you and not be able to think of business."

Ginny looked up at him from under her eyelashes and smiled. "Thank you, I think."

"Let's get going."

"Mummy, Daddy, wait! I need kisses." Kyra came running out of the kitchen. They both gave kisses and then finally left the house.

As they rode Ginny finally asked, "Perhaps it might help if I knew what type of business it is you do. I mean it might seem odd if I have no clue of what you do."

"I guess you're correct. I invest financially in select movies."

Ginny almost choked on her own breath. "Movies? Are you serious?"

"Quite. The Muggles in the entertainment industry are more willing to accept me if they think of me as eccentric. And because of how long it takes to make a movie, it requires me to spend very little time here. Just the way I like it."

Once they arrived, Ginny met two men; Steven and George. The evening went very well. Both men were very nice and charming and the food was great. Lucius could not help noticing how perfectly Ginny handled herself. She remained quiet at the right times, asked the right kinds of questions, and changed the subject when he needed it, almost as if she could read his mind. Once dinner was done and they were in the limo Ginny finally asked, "For how long have you been investing in movies?"

"Over twenty years now." Lucius replied.

"Have you invested in many of Steven's movies?"

"He knows how to bring in the money, so yes."

She smiled. "Do you remember the names of any?"

"Some. Why?"

"I was wondering if you remember one I know I saw."

"Which one was that?" he asked.

"A true story; it was called 'Schindler's List'. Did you invest in it?" she asked in return.

"Yes; in fact I was quite upset with Steven over that one. We could have made a lot more money but he allowed any high school student to see it for free." Lucius still seemed annoyed over it.

"And did you ever see it?"

"No." Ginny laughed at him. "What? You have?" Lucius asked her.

"Yes, in my fifth year, in Muggle studies. I would recommend you see it."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because the fact that you helped finance that movie is extremely ironic" Ginny replied.

"What exactly is it about?" he questioned.

"Just get a copy of it and watch it, without Kyra around."

"And if I don't?" Lucius inquired.

"Fine, don't and I'll just have something to laugh at you about and you'll be left to wonder why." Ginny turned to look out of the window. They were nearly back at the house now, and she would just let him stew in his own juices for the rest of the ride.

Lucius however had other ideas. "Why would you take Muggle studies?"

"Because with people like Hermione around it was an easy mark, and I also remember Ron making a fool of himself trying to use the telephone to call Harry once. I did not want to look like one myself" she explained.

"I would think that you would have been used to Ron looking like a fool" Lucius replied in his drawl.

"Used to it, yes. However, I did not ever want to be like him."

"I would like to thank you for joining me tonight. You were the perfect dinner companion." he said.

Ginny did a double take. "Did Lucius Malfoy just call a Weasley perfect?" she said. She looked out the window, then back at him. "It doesn't look like hell froze over. Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

He looked at her, then replied, "If you look back you will find that we Malfoys only have a problem with Weasley men. And you are perfect at a number of things."

Ginny fell quiet while she thought about this, giving Lucius the chance to take in just how beautiful she looked. He realized that she was younger than his own son, but how could one not find her attractive. It made him wonder why she was single. He was just glad she was. He wondered how far he could take things.

A/N The reference to real people made in this chapter is meant as a compliment.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter eight

The night after dinner with Steven and George, Lucius had put Kyra to bed. He moved towards her window to close it, and as he did he caught sight of Ginny. She was standing on the beach watching the sunset, wearing a white cotton sundress with her hair and dress blowing in the wind. She looked at peace. He considered joining her; then he decided against it. He would instead watch the movie she had encouraged him to see. The night before, once Ginny had gone to bed, he ordered Mrs. Cadbury to get him a copy. He now went to his room where he had a sitting room as well. He picked up the box trying to decide how to open it. Once he opened it, he found a small silver disc with a hole in the center of it. He then looked at the machine that he knew would play it, but he was not sure how to put it in. He began to read the different buttons, finding one that said 'Open.' He pressed it and the drawer slid open; he guessed the word side should go up. It took another minute or two before he found the right button to start the movie. Lucius was amazed that Muggles could do anything.

Lucius was very surprised at how the movie left him feeling. He waited until Kyra was asleep the following night. He had already told Ginny he wanted to speak with her. She said she would be down at the beach once he was ready. So he made his way down to find her sitting on the sand. The sky was every color from dark blue to purple to orange. "I think you also enjoy the sunsets," he said.

"How could I not?" Ginny asked. Her feet were bare and half-buried in the sand. She wore a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. " You wanted to talk to me?"

He sat down next to her. "Yes," he paused, looking out to the horizon. "Last night I watched the movie."

She looked at him. "What did you think?"

"Is that what Dumbledore wanted you to think was going to happen?"

"I don't know. I think Professor Burbage was scared it could happen. I mean, you must see the parallels. Without the Unforgivables it would have been a lot harder. I can't say what would have happened if Harry had failed. Part of me is scared to think about it."

"I only know a few people who enjoyed watching someone die."

"Bellatrix being one." Ginny replied.

He raised his eyebrow. "Yes."

"I have a hard time believing that she could be related to Tonks."

"You knew Tonks then?"

"Yes. For quite awhile we thought Mum was maybe trying to get her and Bill together; at the time she was better than Fleur. Tonks was kind of sisterly towards me. It's hard to believe that they were related to each other. Tonks was so kind. Bellatrix was..."

"So was Naricissa; kind I mean." Lucius interjected.

"You loved her a great deal, didn't you?" she looked towards him with concern.

"I admired her a great deal. I loved the fact that she gave me Draco. We were friends and yes, I loved her, but I was never in love with her, or she with me." Ginny remained quiet. "I don't know what would have happened if Potter had failed. I would like to think that we are more civilized than the men in that movie, but I don't know for sure. I can only say what happened in the past."

"What was the plan originally?"

"Voldemort only told people what they wanted to know."

She looked at him again, "What did you want to happen?"

He thought for a long moment. "You must know by now I'm not like those men in the movie. That night at the Ministry I did not use any Unforgivables on you children," he explained.

She smiled. "No you didn't." She scooped up a handful of sand and slowly let it fall through her fingers, then looked back at him. "Had someone told me then I would be sitting here with you calmly discussing this..."

"I know, but when I look at Kyra I'm glad it happened exactly as it did. I never would have believed how much joy a Weasley could bring to my life. You know, the other day at the riding stables, she was so excited to ride but once she was on the horse it was 'Daddy please walk beside the pony! It's my first time!' It was very nice to have someone trust me so much. I'm sure you are aware how different boys are, but I can believe-"

"Well you know what they say; 'Daddy's little girl. Every little girl wants to marry their daddy'." Ginny said and looked at him and found he was looking at her too.

"Don't say that! I would rather not think of you married to your father" Lucius shuddered. 

She laughed out loud. "Well I don't feel that way now. But I would want to be with someone who cares about his family like Dad does. I know what you're thinking and yes, times may have been tight but we never doubted how much Mum and Dad loved us. And I'm sure Kyra is already feeling the same about you." The sky was now dark blue and the stars were reflecting off the water.

"It's enough to make me want to be very careful about the choices I make. I want the best for her. You know, each night as she says her prayers I find myself wondering, with everything I have done, what did I do to deserve her? You've done a fantastic job raising her Ginevra."

She smiled at him."Thanks, but I had a lot of help." she started chuckling.

"What?"

"I was just remembering when I had to go to Hogwarts to take my N.E.W.T.s test and Severus was watching her. He was always good with her but to see the one teacher whom every student at Hogwarts was most fearful of, holding this tiny pink bundle, talking baby talk, complete with spit-up on his shoulder! Well, if I ever need a good laugh I think of that. I am very lucky to have the friends and family that I do."

"I think on that note we should go in." He rose and offered a hand to help her up as well. "Would you care to join me for a drink?" She nodded and he took her hand as they walked up to the house.

Once inside, Lucius poured them both drinks and they sat in the living room; Ginny on one end of the sofa, Lucius in the chair closest to her. "What is it exactly you do for work with your brother?" he inquired.

"I told you before I like what I do, and the fact that I can do it from home makes it better. I do everything from payroll to keeping the accounts in good standing. I really enjoy doing it, as boring as it sounds."

"If it's something you're good at and you enjoy it, then it's not boring." He took a sip of his drink.

Ginny considered this for a moment. "Can I ask you something?" He nodded. "What are your plans for the future?"

"I'm enjoying making money, and I don't think Draco is ready to take over in the foreseeable future. So I will stay where I am and besides, I am enjoying my time with Kyra." They went on to talk about Lucius' plans for the next couple of days with Kyra.

After an hour or so Ginny was ready for bed herself. "Well," she said as she rose from her seat, "It's been a long day and I think I spent a little much time in the sun today." Lucius rose as well. "Good night Lucius." He took hold of her and lowered his lips to hers. He tasted of the scotch he had been drinking. His lips moved with skill over hers; he pressed against her tongue asking for entry, which she freely gave. In his arms with those lips on hers, she was powerless against him. His hand took hold of some of her hair and gave it a squeeze. She could feel her knees going weak. She reluctantly pulled away from him. "We can't do this. If Kyra were to see us it would only confuse her." She hurried out of the room. She could only admit that she found him attractive. He was the father of her child and he was there for Kyra because of that, not because he felt bad, like her brothers or Harry. Not that she held that against the others. But he felt the same way about Kyra that she did, the way only a parent can. Ginny also knew that Lucius was a man who had had many lovers and she could not become part of that list. If things changed between them, it would ultimately change things for Kyra and her father. Ginny would not risk that.

She made plans to be as far from Lucius as she could for the next few days. She was sure once they were all back in England things would get back to normal. And she really needed to start dating. Maybe she should ask her friends and family to set her up with someone. Fleur would know some French men, and maybe Hermione knew some, Muggles. Yes, the world was full of men and she would not find 'the one' if she just stayed home every night.

The next morning Ginny sent Kyra down for breakfast with Lucius and she took an extra long shower. By the time she finished, Lucius had left. She informed Mrs Cadbury that she was going out once Lucius was back and that she would not be home for dinner. She returned later that evening, hoping Lucius had already retired for the night. However, Lady Luck was not on her side. She entered the house and could see the light on in the living room. She knew that it would be rude to just go up with- out a word, so she walked towards the living room. Lucius was sitting in the same spot as the night before. "How did things go tonight?" she inquired.

He got up and turned to face her; she could not read his face. It kind of scared her knowing that that was a skill he must have found very useful as a Death Eater. "It went fine, Ginevra." he said. The way he said her name told her that she should sit down. She walked into the room and took a seat, noticing he was drinking coffee tonight. "Did you really think you could avoid me all day?"

"I was not trying to avoid you. I just thought we could use a little space" she replied.

"You don't lie very well."

"Maybe that's why Neville and I got caught so many times causing trouble" she stated. She knew she should be trying to disarm the situation and not cause a bigger one, but she could not stop herself.

"Have you been drinking?" he asked, still standing.

"Not a drop since last night. Look, clearly you want to speak to me so can we get on with it? I'm really tired and would like to go to bed now." she said dismissively.

He looked at her, raising an eyebrow as he spoke. "That could be arranged."

"I meant alone," she said coldly.

"Of course. I really think we need to talk about today, not just avoid it till it goes away."

"I know, I'm sorry. It was childish behavior on my part."

Lucius smiled and sat down again. "Yes it was, however, you're still young and you were forced to grow up before your time. Not just you but your whole generation. Why did you run last night?"

"Lucius, why did you kiss me, not just last night but the other night as well?"

"I'm quite sure you kissed me back, and very well I might add."

She blushed. "I did but I should not have. I mean, like I said; what if Kyra had seen us? She's only four and she would get ideas."

"She would not get ideas if you were kissing someone else?" he interrupted.

"That would be different. I mean, you're her father, and when it ends she would be left in the would become hard for us to be – to work together in parenting. And for the record, I have never let her meet anyone I dated."

Lucius picked up his cup the wrong way; not by the ear but instead wrapping his hand around the entire cup itself. After taking a sip and putting it back down, he said "You never put yourself before her, do you?"

"I can't. The second I decided to keep her, I knew I would not be the first one I could think of for a very long time. This is not my time, it's hers."

"Ginevra, I am her father, and you have to allow me to take some of the burden off of you. I'm sorry to say you're right about Kyra and what she would think. I won't try that again if there's a chance she could see it."

Ginny relaxed at the 'I won't try that again', missing the last part. "Thank you, but I'm very tired. I'm going up to bed now."

The next couple of days passed without an incident. Lucius would arrive home, they would all have dinner together, then Ginny would entertain herself while Lucius and Kyra spent time together. Once Kyra was in bed, they would talk. Ginny knew she would miss this once they were home but she enjoyed it for the time being. This evening was different; they had a fire down on the beach. When Lucius took Kyra up to bed, Ginny stayed down by the fire. She even added more wood. Lucius returned and they talked some more. Finally, he asked "Have you enjoyed your time here?"

She leaned back, using her arms to hold herself up. "How could I not? And I think the only thing that will get Kyra to go back home is the fact that magic can be done and talked about. She really loves spending so much time with you."

Lucius could not help but notice Ginny's body; the perfectly proportioned hip to waist to bust ratio, the flat stomach, the curve of the chest. "Speaking of that, I wanted to thank you for coming, and bringing her. I wanted to do something to thank you so I made an appointment for you tomorrow afternoon at a spa."

"Lucius, you did not have to do that for me." she said looking at him.

"Yes I did. We will be leaving the day after tomorrow. I thought you would enjoy this. When are you going to stop this and just accept that I have done something nice? Just relax and enjoy tomorrow."

She looked at him very seriously. "Fine. I give up. I will, okay?"

About noon the next day, Paul the limo driver took Ginny to a very trendy spa. Lucius had been home all day; he and Kyra had their own plans. At the spa Ginny had the works; manicure, pedicure, facial, massage, a mud bath, and then her hair and makeup were done. She knew at that point that something was up because her hair was done in a beautiful updo. She was then led back to a dressing room where there was a large white box with a note standing up on it. She picked up the note and opened it:

_ Ginevra, _

_ Relax and enjoy tonight... _

She opened the box to find a black dress, shoes, and all the necessary undergarments.. She took her time dressing. The dress was a gown and it was made of silk and it clung to most of her body. As she did one last check of the box, she found a large jewelry box. She opened it and found another note:

_ Not one word. _

After removing the note, she found a stunning platinum and emerald set. The emeralds were square cut and the platinum was as thick as the size of the emeralds, and of course there were matching earrings. She carefully put them on and picked up her purse along with the jewelry box and headed out. Once she exited the spa, she saw the limo there and Lucius standing in front of the door. He was in a tuxedo and his hair was loose. He had a single red rose in his hand.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter nine

Ginny could not help smiling at Lucius; he looked incredibly hot. However, before leaving, she promised herself she would not protest at all, and just enjoy what was to come. After all, he knew how she felt about them. "Hello," she said as he reached for her hand, bringing it to his lips and placing a small kiss there.

"I hope you enjoyed your afternoon because it's only the beginning," he said. After dropping her hand, he handed her the rose. "This is for you; however, it cannot begin to compare to your beauty."

As she took it, she said, "Thank you." She softly smelled the flower's sweet fragrance.

He smiled. "We must get going." He helped her into the limo, then went to the other side of the car and got in beside her. She noticed that there were two glasses of champagne there but chose to say nothing. As the car pulled into traffic, Lucius reached for the glasses and handed one to her. "We will be having dinner at a private dining room, then heading out for an evening of live theater, I was told the play we will be seeing is the best the Muggle world has to offer. It's called 'Phantom of the Opera.' He took a sip from his glass.

"That sounds lovely, but I must ask; how did you know I would like the gown?" she wondered, taking her own sip of the sweet beverage.

He smiled again. "I'm sure you are well aware of the effect money has on people. I simply telephoned the store where you got your dress for the other evening. The saleswoman was most willing to help with your sizes and tastes. The idea of another profitable sale was more than enough for her."

"Oh. Well, thank you." She paused. "Kyra was not upset to not be coming then?" she inquired.

He gave a small frown. "She was somewhat disappointed. However, I explained that sometimes we all have to deal with disappointment. And I also promised that you would tell her all about the evening tomorrow." They reached the dining room where they were having dinner. Paul helped Ginny out of the limo and Lucius followed. Once he was out, he took Ginny's hand, placing it in the crook of his arm.

As they entered, Ginny noticed the decor; the room was softly lit, mostly with candles, the walls were painted a light beige, and the hardwood floor was a couple of shades darker than the walls. There was a table set for two in the middle of the room. Ginny could hear soft classical music playing as they were led to the table. Lucius was a perfect gentleman, holding Ginny's chair out for her, then taking his seat. They were served wine, followed by a four course meal which Ginny was told was all preselected by Lucius.

As they ate, Lucius told Ginny about his and Kyra's day. After breakfast, which they all had together, he and Kyra had gone riding again, and she was more confident this time. They then did some shopping of their own. Lucius confessed to spoiling Kyra and Ginny decided to just allow it. She knew he could not have gone too far; after all, they were only shopping in Muggle shops. Once they finished dinner they hurried off to the theater. When they arrived, Ginny noticed that the building was very impressive. As they entered the lobby, which was filled with people, Ginny was a little worried about being over- dressed. However, that was clearly not the case. She was the best dressed woman there, but she felt that that was only due to the quality of her dress. They were directed to their seats, which were of course the best in the house.

From the moment the music started, Ginny was transfixed. At times Lucius watched her to make sure she was still breathing. During the intermission, Ginny hurried off to the restroom. On her way back to Lucius, Ginny ran into George from the other evening. "Ginevra!"

She smiled and walked over to him."George! How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, thank you. How are you enjoying the show?"

"It's amazing! I'm really loving it."

"Is this your first time seeing it, then?"

"Yes, it is."At that moment, the lights flickered, signaling that the intermission was over.

George smiled at her. "It was lovely to talk to you. I hope to see you again."

"Thank you. Take care" she said.

"Same to you." George said. And they both returned to their seats.

As the show continued, Ginny sat motionless, enjoying every second of it. Once the play ended, everyone rose; Lucius included. Ginny however remained sitting, spellbound. Lucius waited a moment, then he said, "Ginevra." She looked up at him.

"That was amazing," she said quietly, still in awe of what she had just watched.

He held out his hand,."Yes. How about we go for a drink somewhere and talk about it?" She took his hand and he again led her out to the limo.

"I ran into Greoge from the other night, during the break." Ginny said as they exited the building.

"Oh really, what did he say?" Lucius asked as they reached the limo. Paul opened the door for her. Lucius once again walked around and got in on the other side.

"Not much. We only spoke very briefly, just about the show."

Lucius smiled. "I am pleased you enjoyed the show."

"I did. Thank you for taking me. This has been a lovely evening. But I'd rather not go for drinks. I hope you don't mind." Ginny said.

"Not at all. Whatever you want is fine with me."

"Thanks," she said as he reached out and grabbed the two glasses which Paul must have been ordered to refill. "That was incredible. I mean – well- all of it. I never realized just how powerful music could be."

"There are some things that Muggles can do that are very powerful."

Ginny laughed out loud at him. "I won't tell anyone you said that."

"See that you don't," he said dryly.

"Because if I did, they would never believe me." she continued.

"You hardly moved at the theater; you must truly have enjoyed it."

She looked at him keenly. "I don't honestly know if enjoy is the right word."

"What do you mean, Ginevra?"

"Well, I found some parallels to Tom and my first year." He looked at her with encouragement in his eyes so she would continue. "Someone whom only she knew about. When he took her, I mean it's not exactly the same, but-"

"I don't know exactly what happened down there."

"Well, no one knows the whole story," she stated.

He looked at her very intently. "What do you mean?"

"Just that I know what happened until I lost consciousness. Harry knows what happened once he arrived, but we never talked about it."

"Dumbledore never asked you what happened?" Lucius' eyes were a cold grey; it amazed her how they could change depending on how he felt.

"Dumbledore was more concerned with the events before I was taken and with what happened while Harry was in the Chamber."

He raised an eyebrow thinking. "That's odd," he said.

"After the final battle, Harry told us about how Dumbledore showed him other people's memories of Tom, in his sixth year. I found it odd that he never asked me about my time in the Chamber. The part of Tom that was there was still a teen, and looking back, he made errors." shesaid in an almost sad way.

"What kind of errors?" Lucius asked.

"Like most boys that age, he was boastful. He said things to me thinking I would be dead and would never repeat them. They did not make much sense at the time to me."

"Why do you say that?"

"If I had been older, or knew about Horcruxes... The things he was saying would have made more sense."

"And if Dumbledore had looked at your memories, he could have had more insight into what Voldemort was thinking. Well, we can't all be perfect."

"Oh. I think we need a second car for your ego." she teased. He sneered at her as she laughed at him.

"So you never, ever spoke to anyone about what happened down there?"

"Deeply, no." she said, a little sad.

"Not even your parents?" Lucius persisted.

"Dad was too busy being mad at you for giving me the Diary."

"And your mother?"

Ginny had a faraway look in her eyes. "Mum was happy I was okay; she worried about the dreams I had. But she was also being proud of Harry and Ron's small part in it. And then that summer, Sirius Black escaped and they became worried that Harry, Ron and Hermione would try to go after him."

"You don't seem upset by all of that." He had at some point turned his body completely towards her.

"What would the point be? I mean, it's not going to change the past. Everything happens for a reason. Perhaps it all happened so I would be ready to be a parent to Kyra," she said with a smile.

"Kyra could not be luckier to have you as her mother."

"Why thank you." he had moved even closer towards her.

"Ginevra, can I ask you something?" She nodded. "You talk about your first few years of school, but you never seem willing to talk about the years during Voldemort's return. Do you not trust me, or perhaps even yourself, or are you afraid of letting something slip about the Order?" He looked at her very intently.

She laughed at that. "It's not that. To be honest, as a Death Eater you probably knew more about what was going on with the Order than I did. Harry would get to know some stuff and the adults would allow Ron and Hermione to hear it too because Harry would just tell them right away anyway. But I was kept in the dark. The most I could let slip would be the cleaning secrets of the Order and my only fear there is that that information would put you to sleep. I was very sad when Sirius died. He saw what was happening to me, and by having to always stay at headquarters in a house he hated, he understood.. I was there but wasn't. He was a member but could not do anything. We shared a bond. I know Harry was really upset by his death but he and I had developed a bond."

"You have some feelings of resentment towards Potter?"

"A little, I guess. Understand, I had a big crush on him at first, then once I got over it he began to have feelings for me. We dated in my fifth year and after Dumbledore passed away, he ended things to keep me from being hurt by Tom."

"It's good that he did, because Voldemort would have used you against Potter."

"He still tried, however I would not let him."

"You did not tell them about any of it until after the final battle?"

"No one ever gave me credit for keeping secret what Voldemort made you do to me..Severus and McGonagall knew but I would not let them tell anyone. I was lucky she forgot when my birthday was; otherwise she would have told mum and dad."

"You never stop amazing me, Ginevra." He pulled her towards him to kiss her. It started as a warm gentle kiss, growing with need and desire. Ginny worked up the strength to pull away. As she did, she saw a terrifying sight through Lucius' window; the Dark Mark floating over Lucius' house.

"Oh my God!" she screamed. Lucius turned to see what she was reacting to.

"Shit! And we can't Apparate from here; the space is too confined!" he growled in frustration to Ginny.

"Get to the house, fast!" he screamed to the driver.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Before the limo even came to a complete stop, both Ginny and Lucius were out of the car. As they made their way to the door, which was open, Lucius ordered, "Ginevra, stay here."

"There's no way I'm staying here!" Ginny said as she ran in the door. She was only ahead of him because of the side of the car she had been on. Ginny stopped dead once she was in the front door, though. There on the floor lay Mrs. Cadbury. Lucius walked over to her, knelt down, and quickly checked her.

As he rose up, he said, "It looks like Avada Kedavra."

Ginny turned on her heel, heading for the stairs, yelling "Kyra! Kyra!"

Lucius, who must have been following her, grabbed her arm. "Ginevra, you must think! You don't even have your wand!" Her eyes darted to his, as he continued. "We don't know what we could be walking in on. Stay behind me." They made their way up the rest of the stairs. As they reached Kyra's door, which also was open, they could see no one in the room. Kyra had clearly been in bed before things happened as the covers were flipped back and on the indent of her pillow was a note. Ginny tried to push past Lucius but he held her back and flicked his wand. A second later, Ginny's wand came flying towards them; he grabbed it and handed it to her. Then they entered the room and moved towards the bed. Lucius snatched up the note and read it aloud; 'Lucius Malfoy, you betrayed those whom you called friends, taking them away from their families. It's time for you to pay. I have taken that which you find most dear from you, and I so enjoy practicing the Unforgivables!' He handed the note to Ginny and ripped open his left sleeve With his wand tip he touched the Dark Mark that was there, saying at the same time "Severus Snape." The Mark glowed red for a minute. He then looked at Ginny. "We're going to need help to find her."

"I'll call home; Harry will help." Ginny said quickly. Lucius looked at her with instant contempt. "Oh, put it aside, please. Both you and Severus were Death Eaters, there's a Muggle woman dead, and our daughter is missing!" She headed for the closest phone because the house was not connected to the Floo network. She had to phone George at the store, and have him call Harry. Harry arrived before Severus, probably due to the fact that Severus had to leave the grounds of Hogwarts first. Harry was able to Apparate directly to the front door. He came inside and found Ginny sitting on Kyra's bed, holding her favorite doll. He looked at Lucius with suspicion in his eyes.

"What happened here?" Harry asked.

"I took Ginevra out for the evening. Upon returning, we found the Dark Mark over the house," Lucius explained in an annoyed tone.

"Lucius?" came Snape's voice from downstairs.

Lucius moved towards the bedroom door, calling down,"Up here Severus. I'll continue once Snape's up here." Lucius said. Seconds later Snape walked in the room, took one look at Ginny, then at Lucius ignoring Harry. Lucius told them what had happened, then Harry asked to see the note. Ginny sat watching the men. Snape looked at her again, and walked over towards her.

"Ginny, are you okay?" he asked.

"They're going to use the Unforgivables on her! She's just a baby!" she blurted. She finally allowed the tears that had been stinging her eyes to fall.

Harry looked up from the letter. "There's nothing magical about the note itself. You don't maybe have some coded terminology that we don't know about that might give us some clue? That I don't see?" Harry looked at the two former Death Eaters.

"No," Lucius replied.

"Luna was going to call the London office and have someone inform the U.S. Auror's office. More help should be here shortly. Have you had any threats since you've been out?" Harry asked as they heard voices from downstairs.

"Yeah, I heard about the Dark Mark but never saw it before." said an unfamiliar voice.

"That must be the help." Snape said.

"I'll go talk to them," Harry said and turned to leave with the note still in hand.

"Potter," Snape said quietly. Harry turned toward Severus. "Could I see the note?" Harry walked back, handing it to Snape. Severus read it over a few times, deep in thought, then said as Harry was about to leave, "I know who wrote this." All eyes in the room were now on him. " Gregory Goyle."

"Are you sure?" came the three other voices in the room.

"Quite. I saw more than my fair share of his writing to know it. I'm positive. And from what I know of him, I think he would take her back to England; somewhere he knows very well. He always found safety in what he was familiar with. We will find them there."

Harry nodded at Snape. "I'm going to talk to the Aurors downstairs. Ginny, Mr Malfoy, perhaps you should change. Draco knew him very well, it seemed. Do you think he would be willing to help?"

Lucius seemed surprised at this."Of course, he will."

"Good. Let's try to leave this room exactly as it is. Professor Snape, would you mind joining me?"

Five minutes later, Ginny caught up with Lucius at the top of the stairs. She didn't speak; she was too afraid of saying something she would later regret. "She'll be fine," he assured her as he took her hand and they headed to the main floor.

Once they got down to the main floor they joined Harry, Snape and the others. Harry looked at Lucius. "Mr Malfoy, have you spoken to Draco?"

"Yes and he is most willing to help. He also says he never heard Gregory saying anything about America, but he does have a few ideas as to where Goyle could be." said Lucius.

"Good. The American Aurors will finish up here. Let's head back to England and find them. Ginny, are you going to be okay?" asked Harry.

Ginny only nodded, still holding Kyra's doll. "I suggest we head to Malfoy Manor," Lucius offered..

"And I would say we go to the Burrow. George has by now informed the whole family; I'm sure they're all waiting for word." stated Harry.

This time Snape spoke up. "I, too, would recommend Malfoy Manor as well, Potter. There are resources there that could be helpful."

Harry did not agree. Lucius spoke this time to Ginny, "You can let your family know where we are and they can join you at the Manor. There's more room there and the staff can help out." She nodded. A couple of minutes later, the four of them Apparated to just outside of the Manor. Once they got into the house, Lucius told Ginny to use the fireplace in the front hall to call the Burrow.

Ginny watched the men head for the living room, then she Floo'd to the Burrow. "Mum, Dad?"

"Ginny dear, what's going on?" Her mother's face came into view, followed closely by her father.

"They think Gregory Goyle took her. Mum, Dad, I'm at Malfoy Manor with Harry and the others. Lucius told me to have you all come here. Could you please come?" Ginny pleaded.

"Of course honey, we'll be there right away," said Arthur. Ginny closed the connection and seconds later her father stepped out of the fireplace.

At the sight of him, Ginny finally broke down. Her father simply wrapped his arms around her. As Molly stepped out of the fireplace, Ginny sobbed, "Daddy, we had gone out to dinner and the theater, and we were on our way home when I saw the Mark over the house. The note said he's going to practice the Unforgivable Curses on her!" It was hard to understand her through the sobs.

Molly said, "The rest of the family are going to stay at the Burrow and wait for word there."

"Where are Harry and the others?" Arthur asked.

"The living room," Ginny said. Arthur, who had been to the Manor on a few raids, pulled Ginny along toward the living room with Molly following close behind. They entered the room to find the most unlikely scene: Harry Potter standing with Severus Snape, Draco Malfoy, and Lucius Malfoy, talking in low voices about where Goyle could be. Lucius looked over at Ginny; her father's arms still around her. She had calmed down some; however, tears could be seen escaping from her eyes. Lucius and Arthur simply nodded towards each other.

Draco was saying, "Let me think. I remember him saying something..., I wasn't paying much attention to him at the time. Give me a second." He moved away from the others and paced.

Harry continued, "Has anyone spoken with him? I'm wondering about his mental state."

Arthur spoke this time. "He works at the Ministry; I think in the Magical Transportation department."

He looked at Arthur. "Good. Someone at work should be able to let us know how he is. Mr. Malfoy, could I use your Floo?" Harry asked. Lucius nodded. Harry called his office for them to send someone to talk to Goyle's co-workers.

Draco finally returned to the others. "He once told me about some hunting lodge his father used to take him to. He said he loved it because there were alot of places to hide in and around the building, hidden rooms inside and stuff like that." Harry had returned to the group as well. "It was up near Glenprosen Village." He looked at his father and Snape to see if either of them knew of the place. Neither of them seemed to know about it.

However Snape spoke up, "It sounds like the right type of place, if we knew where it was."

An hour later, thanks to Arthur and Harry's connections at the Ministry, the location of the village was determined. Other Aurors were notified to be ready to move in on the location. They decided only a small number should go until Kyra was safe; no one seemed willing to say or think anything that would imply anything different.

Ginny, of course, wanted to go. "I'm coming too," she said defiantly.

"No! It could be dangerous," came from the men.

She looked at them with frustration. "She's my baby, and I know I've proven myself in the past."

Molly spoke this time, softly to Ginny, "I'm sure they all know you're more than capable, but Ginny, this is going to need cool heads. You're far too emotional right now and besides, if Kyra's not okay, she's going to need you to be unharmed. Ginny, trust me. Stay back here with us. Keep yourself safe so you can help her after." Ginny looked at her mother. "Ginny, I know it's hard to sit back and not be there but she's going to need you after."

Ginny finally agreed. "Fine. I'll stay." Lucius and the others relaxed a little. As they walked with the unlikely quartet to the door, Ginny spoke again. " I want to go to the Burrow." Molly and Arthur nodded. Once they stepped outside, Lucius came up to Ginny.

Placing his hands on her shoulders and looking into her eyes., he said, "I promise I will bring her back to you."

She wrapped her arms around him and said into his chest, "See that you do."

He hugged her tightly, "I promise you." He then kissed the side of her head before letting go.

Molly placed a hand on her husband's arm to keep him from reacting. "We'll contact you at the Burrow once we have something to tell you," Harry said, as Lucius moved away from Ginny. Then he, Draco, Snape, and Harry Disapparated, leaving Ginny with her parents.

"Let's head back to the Burrow; there's a house full waiting for word." Molly said, who had remained calm all this time.

When they arrived back at the Weasley house, almost everyone was there; Bill and Fleur with Victorie, Charlie, Percy and his girlfriend Audrey, George and a very pregnant Angelina, and Luna. Ron and Hermione were still on their honeymoon and unreachable. Fleur, who had long ago (since her wedding) calmed down quite a bit and now was loved by all the Weasleys, had taken over Molly's place in the kitchen cooking. As soon as Ginny entered the kitchen, Fleur's arms were around her in a tight hug. Within seconds, Ginny, Arthur and Molly were surrounded by family all asking questions at the same time. Ginny slowly recounted what had taken place. Once she finished, they began the long wait. Once in a while someone would ask something. After the first hour of waiting, Ginny went up to the bathroom. On the way back, she stopped at her old room, which Kyra now slept in when she spent the night. Ginny walked over to the bed and picked up the pillow. She hugged it to her closely, inhaling the smell of her daughter's hair which was still there. Ginny sank onto the bed and began sobbing.

After a few minutes, there was a soft knock on the door. As she looked up, she had to smile at Bill. Without a word, he walked across the room to Ginny and hugged her. "I can't imagine what you're going through."

"I don't remember ever being this scared," she said looking up at him. He had always been her favorite brother, and her feelings towards him grew greatly when Ron had left for his first year at Hogwarts. Bill had made a point of coming home more often, and always had time for her.

"It's horrible what our children can do to us, isn't it?" He let go of her and was now sitting on the bed.

She only nodded. "Mum got Charlie talking to Dad. She said that he was pretty upset when you and Lucius hugged."

"Can we not talk about this right now?"

"Gin, I have no intention of giving you any kind of hard time about this right now. I just wanted to say remember what he did in the past to you and know as a parent, in light of how you're feeling about this Goyle, how you would feel if twelve years from now Kyra was hugging him. Just remember what you're feeling and be understanding of dad when he explodes." She looked up at him waiting for more. "That's all I have to say about it. Let's head back downstairs." said Bill.

They all waited for another couple of hours. Finally, a Patronus of a doe entered the house. Snape's voice filled the room. "Meet us at St. Mungo's."

  
  



	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Ginny instantly Floo'd to St. Mungo's and ran up to the main desk. "My daughter was just brought in!"

Ginny then noticed down the hall Snape placing Kyra on a stretcher. She took off towards them. Her first view of Kyra scared her. The little girl's body was lifeless, her eyes were closed and her arms had several red welts on the wrists and upper arms. She was still in her nightgown. Severus held her back.

"Ginevra, let the Healer check her out. I think she's just under a sleeping potion." he said. Ginny watched the Healer and aides took the stretcher into a room a couple of doors down.

"I want to stay with her." She began following them.

"Fine, but let them do their work. I'm going to talk with the rest of your family who are arriving now."

Ginny watched as the Healers looked over her daughter. Once they checked everything out, the Healer finally said to Ginny as the aides left the room, "She's just under a very strong sleeping potion. I could wake her but I believe that it's better if we just allow it to run its course. Other than that, she just has some rope burns. My aide will apply something for them," the Healer reassured Ginny. She nodded.

The aide returned as the Healer left. She began applying a yellowish-orange salve to Kyra's arms. There was a knock on the door and Molly popped her head in. "Ginny, can I come in?"

"Of course Mum," Ginny said. Molly entered the room and Ginny told her what the Healer had said. "Have you seen Lucius?"

The aide spoke before Molly could, "I'm sure he will be ready to go to Azkaban very soon."

"What are you talking about?" asked Ginny.

"I'm sure the Aurors will be taking him to Azkaban," the aide repeated.

Ginny looked at Molly, who did not know what the aide was talking about either. "Mum, will you stay here while I find out what's going on?"

"Yes dear, I won't leave her," Moly assured her daughter.

Ginny left the room looking for the rest of her family and Severus. She finally asked another aide where the waiting room was. Once she entered, she found her father, Severus, and everyone who was at the Burrow there with the exception of Angelina and the kids. After telling them how Kyra was, she asked, "Severus, what happened? The aide said something about Lucius going to Azkaban!"

Severus nodded. "Ginny, you just had your first experience with what people like myself, Lucius and Draco have had to deal with on a regular basis. Something happens and if we were anywhere around, because of our past, we're automatically to blame. Lucius is not going anywhere any time soon."

"What happened then?" Ginny asked. "Where is he and Draco?"

"Draco is with Lucius. When we finally got to where Goyle was holding Kyra in that lodge, he had her tied up and floating a couple of feet in the air. Once he saw us, he began ranting and raving and then he made it clear he was about to cast the Killing Curse on Kyra. Draco, Potter and I all cast different disarming curses and shielding charms. Lucius jumped in front of Kyra to take the curse himself and he was hit."

"Oh my God!" exclaimed Ginny.

"He's not dead, but he's not doing very good. He was unconscious instantly," Severus finished

Molly entered the room holding a still sleeping Kyra. "Ginny, they said we can take her home now."

Ginny took Kyra from her mother and sat down. "I'm not leaving until I hear about Lucius," she stated. After thinking for a few seconds, she added, "Where's Draco?"

"I saw him down the hall," Bill said.

"Take me to him, please," Ginny said, getting up. She repositioned Kyra in her arms. Bill nodded and led the way. They found Draco leaning against a wall staring at the door across from himself. "Draco, have you heard anything?"

Draco shook his head, then looked at Kyra in Ginny's arms. "No, not yet. Is she okay?" he asked as he gently touched Kyra's cheek.

"Yes, she's fine. Do you mind if we wait with you?"

"No, please do," he said.

Bill had found a chair for Ginny. "I'll wait with the rest of the family," he said and then took off back down the hall.

"Ginny, I'm really sorry about this." Draco's eyes had returned to the door across the hall.

"Draco, it's okay; you did not do this," Ginny said.

They sat quietly for a while. "He's all I have left, I don't have any other family," Draco finally said.

"Draco, that's not true! You have Kyra, and if you want, me as well. And I'm sure that if you really wanted, Harry would let you see Teddy Lupin. But Lucius has to be fine."

It was at that moment the door across the hall opened and a Healer came up to them. "Mr. Malfoy, your father was hit with a very powerful curse, the Killing Curse, and as you know it was altered. He's alive but we can't get any reaction. I'm afraid if he does not wake up in the next day or so, he might never. I'm going to have him moved to a more comfortable room; then you can see him. Give us about ten minutes. I'm sorry I can't tell you more."

Draco nodded in understanding, then asked, "Who do I speak to about a private room?"

"I already ordered one. Go grab a cup of tea and maybe something to eat. An aide will find you once he's been moved," the Healer offered.

Draco looked at Ginny and helped her get up with Kyra. Ginny spoke first, "I'm going to let everyone know what's going on." Draco nodded.

"I'm going to find a loo, then I'll come find you." he said. He turned and headed down the hall away from the waiting room.

Ginny headed towards the waiting room. She was surprised to see her parents, Severus, and Fleur still there. She explained what the Healer had said.

"Well Ginny, let's get you and Kyra home," Molly recommended.

"I'm not leaving him here," Ginny said as Draco entered the room.

"Ginny, come on! Kyra has been through alot and so have you. You need some rest. You need to go home and get some sleep," Molly tried to convince Ginny.

Ginny, who still had Kyra in her arms, stated "I'm not leaving." Arthur remained quiet but he began to pace the room.

Fleur chose to speak; "Ginny, I understand 'ow you must be feeling, 'owever, Kyra needs to be in bed."

"Maybe your parents could take Kyra to their place and when she wakes up someone could come and get you," Draco said in a soft voice as if he was not sure how Ginny's family might take to him getting involved.

Fleur spoke, "Dat makes sense."

Ginny looked at Kyra. "I don't want to be away from her. And Lucius will want to see her when he wakes up."

"It could be a long time, though. She'll be fine at the Burrow. Someone will sit with her the whole time dear. Come on, you can't hold her the whole day." Molly implored her daughter.

Ginny finally gave in. "Okay, as long as someone comes to get me as soon as she wakes up." Arthur came over and took Kyra from Ginny.

"We'll head home now," Molly said. Then looking at Draco, she added "He's a strong man. I'm sure he'll be fine, dear."

Draco looked taken aback, then simply nodded. Ginny kissed Kyra once more before her family left. Once the room cleared it was just Severus, Ginny and Draco. "I'm sorry, but I have to get back to the school. Let me know what's happening." He walked towards the door but Ginny stopped him by wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Thank you for your help," Ginny said. Snape simply smiled at her, then left.

Draco and Ginny stood looking at each other. Finally he asked. "Is there something going on between you and my father?"

Ginny looked at him as if his face might hold the answer. "Yes, no... I don't know."

Draco smirked at her. "You care about him though," he stated.

"Yes."

"Maybe even love him, don't you?" he asked.

At that moment an aide entered the room. "Mr. Malfoy?" Draco nodded. "I'll show you to your father's room." Draco and Ginny followed the young woman. They went up to the fourth floor for Spell Damage. Once they reached the room, the aide informed Ginny, "I'm sorry; only immediate family, miss. You can go up to the fifth floor; there's a tearoom there."

Draco grabbed Ginny's hand. "She is family," he said as he pulled her into the room.

"Thanks." She gave him a smile. They entered the room and there in the bed lay Lucius Malfoy. His skin looked gray, but otherwise, he looked like he was sleeping. Ginny thought that for the first time in her life she was not seeing him in tailored clothing. And with the color of his skin, the dark colors he usually wore were much better than this light-colored hospital gown he was now in. They sat down in the chairs in the room and began the long wait. Draco went into greater detail as to what had happened at the lodge, then they both fell quiet. Once in a while, one of them would say something to the other. After an hour or so Draco went to get them both tea. Once he left, Ginny moved closer to Lucius, sitting on the edge of the bed and taking his hand. "Lucius, I can't thank you enough for what you did today. And I want you to know Kyra's fine, thanks to you." She held his hand close to her chest. "Please wake up!" She could not help the tears from falling. She did not even hear Draco return.

Draco stood there watching Ginny with his father. He could see that she was in love with Lucius, even if she did not realize it as of yet. He began to feel like an intruder. He finally made his presence known to Ginny. After taking the tea he brought, she sat back down in the chair she previously occupied.

They sat there for at least three more hours. Then Draco asked, "Ginny, I know in a couple of hours or so Kyra will be waking and you'll need to go be with her, for a while at least. Would you mind if I went back to the Manor? I need a shower and a change of clothes. I'll be back before you have to go."

Ginny replied, still looking at Lucius, "No, of course not. I'll have someone call you if anything changes."

With that, Draco left and Ginny moved her chair right up to the bed and again took Lucius' hand. An aide came to check on Lucius. At Ginny's request, the aide left and returned with a blanket for her. Ginny wrapped it around herself. After a while, Ginny rested her head on the bed. She fell asleep still holding Lucius' hand. It had been a long day for Ginny; she had been up for over twenty-six hours straight. She did not wake when the aide and Healer checked on Lucius again. She didn't even move when Lucius began making small movements himself.

When Lucius fully woke up, he tried to remember what had happened. He realized that he was in the hospital. He had to remain fairly still, but he noticed something heavy on his legs. He looked down to see Ginny's face; she was clearly asleep and he realized she was holding his hand. She looked so peaceful. He thought for a long time before making up his mind. He closed his eyes for a minute, then felt Ginny stirring. As the stirring changed to purposeful movement, he kept his eyes closed, pretending to still be asleep. He could hear her shifting. He slowly began to act as if he was just waking up himself.

Ginny saw and felt him move and a wave of relief washed over her. When he opened his eyes, Ginny's face broke into a smile. "You're awake! I'm so happy.! Lucius' face remained cold. "Kyra's fine thanks to you! She's with my parents."

A trace of a smile played across his face. It slowly grew larger and he started chuckling, which turned into laughter. "This went better than planned," he grinned.

"What are you laughing at, Lucius?" Ginny asked, clearly confused.

"You stupid girl! My plan was to get you to sleep with me of your own free will, but this is even better! Arthur Weasley's only daughter went and fell in love with me!" he said, his voice cold and full of malice.

"Lucius?" Ginny looked worried now.

"Tell me, has your father lost it over this?" Ginny did not reply; tears were building in her eyes. "I've done better than I set out to do! Get out and don't return, you pathetic little blood traitor." he sneered.

"Why are you saying this, Lucius? What about Kyra?" Ginny stammered.

This time he yelled at her. "You really are as stupid as I thought the first time I saw you! I don't care about you or your little brat! I can't stand the sight of you! Get the hell out!" Ginny moved away from the bed. She tried to speak but did not have the words to express herself. The farther away from the bed she got the faster she began to move. As she reached the door, her tears were falling freely. She pulled the door open wide enough to slip through it. Before it closed, she heard his cruel laughter.

She ran down the hall towards the elevator. Before she reached it, Draco came around the corner. He could see the look on her face and grabbed her, thinking the worst. She could not see him through the tears. "Ginny, what happened?"

She realized who had her. "This was all just some joke to get me into bed! Let go of me!" she cried.

Draco was surprised at this. "What are you talking about?" He pulled her over to a couple of chairs that were in the hall.

"He said"-sob-"that it was"-sob-"about"-sob, sob-"He"-sob- "does not"-sob-"care about"-sob-"Kyra!"

Draco pulled her close. "Ginny, I had no idea he could do something like this. I'm sorry," he said honestly. He looked up to see Neville Longbottom coming down the hall. "Longbottom, come here!" he called out. Ginny continued to cry; Draco's arm still around her shoulder.

Neville looked up. Seeing Draco with his arm around Ginny caused him to rush over. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Longbottom, can you see that Ginny gets to the Burrow? Someone there can explain most of it to you. I want to get to the bottom of this." Draco explained.

Neville took Ginny from Draco. "Sure. Come on Ginny. I'll take you home." As Neville headed towards the lift with Ginny, Draco headed to his father's room.

  
  
  



	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Neville Longbottom returned Ginny to the Burrow where Molly, Arthur, Bill, Fleur, and the children Victorie and Teddy were still. He explained how he ran into Ginny and Draco while he was at the hospital visiting his parents. Bill explained to him about the kidnapping and rescue. After Neville left and Ginny calmed down, she explained what had taken place in Lucius' room. Arthur paced angrily; he was ready to go to the hospital and finish Lucius off. Bill pulled him aside. "Dad, I understand how you must be feeling, but try and calm down and think before you act. This does not add up. A man like Lucius Malfoy does not try to take a Killing Curse for someone he does not care about. And whether we like it or not, Ginny does seem to have strong feelings towards him, and he is still Kyra's father. If you do anything to him you'll only upset both Ginny and Kyra. How would we ever explain to Kyra that she no longer has a father or a grandfather because Grandpa killed her daddy."

"William, you would see this differently if it was Victorie," Arthur said, his face still red with anger.

"Dad, if he really meant what Ginny said he said, then Kyra will soon find out what kind of man her father really is. Trust me; you won't have to do anything. He will fall from Kyra's and Ginny's good graces soon enough. Be the bigger man. And don't give him the satisfaction of it."

At the same time in the kitchen, Molly and Fleur were calming Ginny down. "Ginny, you've been through alot in the last day. I'm going to give you some dreamless sleep potion, and I want you to drink it all. You should wake up about the same time as Kyra." Molly said, and handed Ginny a potion, which Ginny looked doubtful at. "Why don't you take it up with you to Percy's old room. That way you won't have to worry about Kyra waking you, if she does wake before you."

Ginny, with as hurt as she was feeling, needed to be close to Kyra. She said, "No, I'll be in my old room with Kyra."

That evening, after dinner, Ginny took Kyra back home. Kyra was lucky to not have any memories of what had happened. Once Ginny got Kyra to bed that night, Ginny sat back trying to figure out how she could have been so stupid to have fallen for Lucius. And just when did it happen to her? Shortly thereafter, the wards around her home announced a visitor. When Ginny opened the door, she was surprised to see Draco. He had Ginny and Kyra's trunks with him. "Ginny, can I come in?" he asked.

She looked at him, then slowly stepped out of the way so he could enter the house. "Where do you want these?"

"Just right there is fine," she pointed to the hall entrance.

"The American Aurors had your stuff packed up and sent over. Let me know if you're missing anything. Ginny, I can only imagine what you're thinking and when I think back, I don't blame you for a second. "

"Draco, just don't," she said, as she moved farther from the door.

"Please let me finish. Can I sit down?" he asked. She finally nodded in frustration.

"Look, I know that in school I was always a complete arse towards you and did everything I could to make you miserable. But I have no idea what father is doing this time. He would not say a word to me about it. I really don't even know what he said to you, but clearly he really upset you. I just hope you will allow me to see Kyra once in a while."

Ginny agreed and Draco left. Ginny looked at the trunks and decided it was just too much to deal with tonight. She went to the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of white wine and a glass. She just wanted to drown her sorrows. By the time she was half-way through the bottle, the wards around the house went off again. She really didn't want to talk to anyone, so she ignored the pounding on her door. At least until she heard Severus' voice. "Ginny, I know you're in there; open up before I blast the door open!"

Ginny rose and walked over to the door, opened it and walked back to her seat on the couch, flopping down very ungracefully. Without saying a word, Severus entered the house, eyed her, then eyed the bottle of wine that sat open on the table. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

"Not really," she said, taking a long drink of her wine.

"You really should not drink alone Ginny," Severus stated dryly.

"So go grab a glass and help yourself; then I won't be drinking alone," she said just as dryly as she loosely held her glass in her hand allowing it to swing abit.

Severus looked at the normally responsible person in front of him. "I don't think I will. I talked to Draco this evening. He said something big happened between you and Lucius, so I'm here for you, my young friend."

Ginny got up and went into the kitchen, returning shortly with a glass for Severus and a second bottle of wine. After placing both on the table next to the others, she sat down. "I was so stupid, Severus. I went and fell for him," she moaned. Snape could see the tears building in her eyes. " I trusted him just like I trusted Tom, like the fool little girl I am."

Severus sighed, "Ginevra -"

"And what's worse is this time it was not just me, but I put Kyra out there too." She was now crying, but she took another sip of her wine.

"Perhaps if you started with what happened today, it might help."

Ginny told him what occurred when Lucius woke up; all the mean, hurtful things Lucius had said and the evil laughter. "How could I have been so dumb? I knew who he was, and instead of listening to my family and running as far from him as I could, I instead fell for the bastard and threw Kyra to the lions! Or the snakes, in this case."

Snape sat there going over in his mind what Ginny had said. Parts of it did not make sense. He also thought about how much Lucius despised Arthur Weasley, but this was a little too much just to get under someone's skin. Still, this was the man who gave a child Volemort's diary. Maybe he did not know Lucius as well as he believed. He felt guilty he had encouraged Ginny to let Lucius into her and Kyra's lives.

"What am I going to tell Kyra when she asks about him?" Ginny wondered. She had stopped trying to wipe away the tears from her face.

Snape pulled her close in a tight hug. "Ginny, everything will work out for the best." She was now sobbing into his chest. Snape stayed with Ginny for a long time until she calmed down. When he left, he did not head back to Hogwarts; instead he headed to St Mungo's. As it was quite late, there were only a handful of people around. He needed to hear this from Lucius himself. If he did not like what he heard, then he would keep his promise that he had made to Ginny when he told her to give Lucius a chance. His wand was already in hand as he walked the halls. Once he reached Lucius' room, he did not bother to knock; he simply stormed in. Lucius was sitting up in bed, reading a book. He put it down upon Snape's entrance. "Severus, being around children so much is having a bad effect on you. You must remember to knock before entering a room," he said.

"Tell me: was it good manners to use the Dark Mark in a pathetic attempt to bed a woman?" Snape growled as he closed in on Lucius.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." Lucius replied.

"Tell me: does that include feeding someone the idea of kidnapping Kyra, all in some sick attempt to bed Ginny?"

"Don't fool with me. It's not like you didn't try to get her in your own bed permanently! Yes, she told me of your offer to marry her," Lucius said hotly.

Snape chose to pretend he did not hear that. "We've both done horrible things in our lives, but putting your own child in that kind of danger..." he continued.

Lucius interjected, "I never put her in danger; everything I have done has been to keep them safe."

It was at that moment Severus Snape realized it. Shaking his head, he spoke with even more malice than he ever used towards Harry Potter; "You complete fool. Twenty years of your life you spent in a loveless marriage. You finally find love and you throw it away."

Lucius looked at him. "I did what I had to do. I could not risk them getting hurt."

"I did not think you were so stupid. Ginny's been in danger since her poor excuse for a brother befriended Potter. Hell, you were the first to attempt to do her harm."

"I know what I did. I don't need you reminding me." Lucius now stood up, trying to intimidate Snape.

Snape did not back down. "Don't you see? She's always been in danger, and always will be. With you in her life, you could protect her far more than her family could."

"It's easy to tell someone that, but you-"

Severus cut him off. "I came here tonight to kill you for hurting her, but now I think it's better if you have to suffer, knowing that one day she'll be in someone else's arms. That she'll be giving someone else her love. Knowing it could have been yours if you had just acted differently. Believe me, I know from experience there's no better hell!" Snape turned and walked out of the room.

The next day, Harry came over to update Ginny on the case against Gregory Goyle. Goyle did have issues with the fact that Lucius was now a free man and living his life, when his own father would spend the rest of his life in Azkaban, thanks to Lucius' testimony. When Goyle heard that Lucius had a child, he waited until an opportunity arose. Working in the Magical Transportation department, he found out about the international Apparation that Lucius and Ginny made with Kyra. He then had a friend who worked in the department that monitors underage wizardry keep tabs on the Apparation destination. When he commented on the one time use of magic at the L.A. estate, a home that was not registered to a wizarding family, Goyle was easily able to find out where they were.

They were sitting at Ginny's kitchen table; Kyra was at Molly's. Harry pondered, "What I can't figure out is why Lucius did not have any wards on the estate."

"Well, if we all did not know about the place and he ever needed somewhere to hide, as long as he did not use magic no one would ever look for him over there." Ginny said.

"If that's true, a man like him would not have made the mistake of using magic there," he thought out loud.

"He didn't; I did. I brought out my Pensieve and used a Concealing Charm on it. I used magic. It was because of me that he found us; that he took her!" Ginny began to cry.

Harry moved over to comfort her, he knelt next to her chair and rubbed her back as he spoke, "No, Ginny, Goyle would have just done it when you got back. He would have just waited for the opportunity to arise. At some point, whether it was with you, or Lucius, or one of the family, someone would have given him that chance. I think he may have had help or something because I know he's not that smart on his own; even Draco said that much. But he admits to everything, so he will have his wand snapped and be spending a very long time with his father in Azkaban. The family told me about what happened with Lucius. How are you doing?"

"I feel a little stupid but I'll be fine."

"Ginny, tell me you did not really fall for him. Did you?" Ginny only looked at Harry with tears in her eyes. "Why?"

"I don't know. I didn't even know I felt that way about him until I saw him lying in that hospital bed."

"Ginny you can do so much better than him. But I know how it feels to have your heart broken. The hurting will pass. I know you're stronger than how you feel right now. It will get better, I know. I speak from experience. My heart was once broken by the most beautiful little redhead," Ginny blushed as Harry continued. "and I just hope the man who ends up with her knows just how lucky he is."

Later that day Ginny unpacked hers and Kyra's things. As she reached the bottom of her trunk, she found the box that contained the necklace and earrings Lucius had given her. She opened the box and admired the gorgeous set. They were truly breathtaking. But in light of what Lucius had said, she could not keep them; that would be like telling him she could be bought.

So the next day, while on Diagon Alley, Ginny made a quick stop at Malfoy Holdings. She reached the outer office before Lucius' office. His assistant was working on something. He looked up at Ginny and smiled. "How can I help you, Ms. Weasley?" he inquired. They had spoken through the Floo a couple of times when Lucius had a meeting that ran late.

"Rainer, I hope you could see that Lucius gets this back." She pulled the velvet black box out of her purse and handed it to him.

As he took it he explained, "Mr. Malfoy is out of the office but I will see he gets it as soon as he returns."

"Thank you. Have a good day." Ginny turned and left.

Later Lucius returned. "Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Weasley stopped by earlier to drop something off. I left it on your desk," the young man informed Lucius.

Lucius entered the office and his eyes fell on the black box. He walked over and picked it up. Opening it, he could smell Ginny, which made him think back to that night. She had looked perfect. She was perfect. 'Of course Ginevra returned the set,' he thought. 'She was a lady; to keep it would imply otherwise.' He ran a finger along the necklace. 'At least she and Kyra were safe now.' Lucius held the box close to his heart, remembering how Ginevra felt in his arms.

Ginny spent the next couple of days feeling sorry for herself, then slowly tried to get back to the job of living. But she was crying herself to sleep each night. When Kyra asked about Lucius, Ginny just told her that her father was very busy. She did not want to break her daughter's heart. Ginny hoped that Kyra could just be kept busy until she stopped asking. Ginny was finishing with the dishes when the wards around the house went off. She went to the door and was surprised to see Harry there. He smelled of Firewhiskey. "Ginny, can I come in?" he asked.

"Of course, Harry." He entered a little wobbly. Ginny guided him to the sofa.

"I'll get you some coffee," Ginny said and headed to the kitchen to make some strong coffee. After returning to the living room, she set a tray down, poured Harry a cup, and finally sat down.

"What's going on, Harry?" she asked, looking at him concerned.

"Luna and I had a fight," he said, looking at Ginny with a little difficulty.

"Was I the reason for the fight?" she asked.

"No, it was about work," he replied.

"She does not like the fact that you're always putting yourself in danger, does she?"

"No. She does not understand."

"That Harry Potter grew up only knowing what it was like to have to be concerned that his life could come to an end at any moment. That you're addicted to the adrenaline high."

"You know me so well, Ginny. Why aren't we together?" he asked and reached out, tucking some of Ginny's hair behind her ear. "I never stopped loving you, you know."

"Oh Harry, I know, but it just would not work. Look, I know you don't want to go back to Luna and your place tonight, so I'll get you a pillow and blanket. You can sleep on the sofa, and you'll feel better in the morning."

Once Ginny got Harry to lie down, he fell asleep quite quickly. Ginny then Floo'd Luna to let her know where Harry was. She promised they would talk in the morning after Harry left.

The next morning Kyra was very happy to see her uncle Harry over. Harry was not quite as agreeable due to his hangover, which Ginny had little sympathy for. He still had paperwork to finish in regard to Kyra's kidnapping, so after he left for the Auror's office, Ginny called Luna over. Luna brought Teddy with her. While Teddy and Kyra played, Ginny and Luna were able to talk with only a few distractions.

"Ginny, how are you doing?" Luna asked as they had tea. She had heard from Harry and the rest of the family what had happened.

"I won't lie; I'm hurting. But I'm not going to be defined by a man's actions anymore. I spent too many years as the girl who had done Voldemort's bidding. I'm not going to become the woman who was stupid enough to fall in love with her family's worst enemy and was left broken hearted." Ginny was putting on a good front. "So Harry told me his side of what happened but I want the real story."

"He just won't slow down at work. He stays late most of the time and he takes unnecessary risks. At this point, I'm scared I'll be a widow before we even get married. And why did he come here? Why does he always come to you, Ginny? I think he loves you more than me."

Ginny looked at her friend. "Luna, can I go to your place for a minute?"

Luna looked a little confused, but nodded. Ginny got up and walked out her front door and Apparated to Luna and Harry's place. In the living room on a bookshelf, she found what she was looking for. After grabbing it, she headed back to her place. "Ginny, what are you doing with Harry's photo album?"

"Luna, I'm about to let you know why I never got back together with Harry." She opened the album to a page that held a photo of Lily, Harry's mother.. "What do you see?"

Luna glanced. "Harry's mother."

"Look harder; really look." Ginny moved so her face was right above the photo album.

Luna slowly looked up, then back down again. "Ginny, I never saw it before! By god, you could be twins!"

"Yeah, I don't think Harry has ever realized it. Deep down, I think he loves me but he will never be in love with me, not really. But you, Luna, since you began working on his biography, well I can tell. It's in the way he looks at you; like he's about to eat you with his eyes. He does love you, but both of you have to work past what you two think he and I had. And he, if you remember, never even looked twice at me until I blossomed, until I really started looking like her. Subconsciously, he's trying to replace her with me. And for the record, I only love him as a brother; nothing more. I promise."

Luna and Harry made up later that day, and Luna began to have new confidence in her relationship. Ginny spent time musing about the fact that no matter what or who you were, your problems always seemed bigger than the next guy's. When Ron and Hermione returned from their honeymoon, they both felt really bad about the fact that they weren't around when Kyra was kidnapped. Hermione had insisted that no one know where they were while on honeymoon. She was afraid that Harry would get some clue on a big case and let Ron know and the two of them would take off on her. She never thought that there might be a family emergency that they could miss.

Ginny began to have a normal life and a normal routine again. Most mornings, Ginny would take Kyra to the Burrow where Molly schooled her, Victorie, and Teddy in reading, writing and math. Molly claimed that children learn better with other children around. The truth of the matter was that she was suffering from empty nest syndrome, and teaching the kids made her feel needed. Now that there were no children to support, they were very comfortable with just one income. This arrangement also gave Ginny and Fleur time to themselves, and Harry felt funny about asking Luna to stay home with Teddy, only because her writing career was going so well.

After Ginny leaves the Burrow, she would head to the joke shop, picking up the bank deposits, invoices and anything else she needed. After stopping at the bank to make the deposits, she would head back to her place. She was completely unaware that most days, someone was watching her while she was on Diagon Alley.

  
  
  



	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

As October began, the weather turned cooler. People rushed about Diagon Alley, but still it was a little quieter now that most of the older kids were off at school. There were still the mothers with young children, and on some mornings, young couples in the cafes, the old ladies that complain about the cost of everything being too high, and the old men who complain about what the Ministry is doing and when the Ministry does what they said the day before still say it's wrong. Life was going on.

This morning, Ginny was having a much harder time than most. Kyra had a temper tantrum about not seeing Lucius. Ginny still had not found a way to explain that Lucius wanted nothing to do with them. She thought about contacting Draco and asking him if he could spend some time with Kyra, but decided to wait until he contacted her instead. Kyra would just have to readjust to the fact that her uncles and grandfather were the main men in her life again. She would however invite Severus for dinner this weekend.

As Ginny left the shop this morning, she was greeted by a face she had not seen in a long time. "Ginny Weasley! I don't think I've seen such a beauty in a long time!" Ginny turned to see Justin Finch-Fletchley. She gave him a warm smile.

"Justin, how are you doing?" she exclaimed, then gave him a small hug.

"I'm good. How about yourself?" he asked.

"I've been busy, but I'm good. What have you been up to?"

"I'm working as a prosecutor for the Ministry. Why don't we go for a coffee to catch up?" he asked, smiling at her.

"Sure, I could use a coffee. Lead the way," she said as they turned and headed down the alley. Justin gently put his hand on the small of her back.

Like most mornings, someone stood just out of sight, watching. This morning however, their thoughts were interrupted. "Maybe she's not as in love with you as you thought. Don't look so glum, Lucius, He's from a very good family. I heard he was on the Eton list before he got his letter from Hogwarts." Severus Snape said as he stood next to Lucius Malfoy. Years of experience meant Snape knew exactly what to say to get a reaction from him.

Lucius did not comment; he continued to watch as Ginny turned her head toward Justin, giving him a small smile and then laughing at something he said.

"He's very forgiving. He does not seem to hold against Ginny the fact that she set the Basilisk on him at all," Snape paused, waiting for a reaction. After receiving none, he continued. "They say that little girls, when they grow up, seek a man who reminds them of the main male role model in their lives. From what I know of Justin, he would be someone Ginny's family would most welcome." Snape twisted the knife a little more.

"Don't you have some students to terrify?" Lucius asked, clearly irritated.

Snape smiled to himself. "Yes, it is about time. I'm heading back now."

Ginny had a very good time with Justin. He even asked her for a date. He did not even seem put off by the fact that she had a child. Even though Ginny knew she was in love with Lucius, he had said he did not want her. She knew she had to move on, and it was only one date. It would do her good to get out; to enjoy the attention of a different man, so Ginny accepted. She had decided the best way to get over Lucius was to get busy; have a life beyond Kyra. Ginny still had her convictions, but it could not hurt to date and have some fun.

For their date, Justin took Ginny into Muggle London to a pottery place where they made a couple of bowls. They then went for a tour of the Tower of London, followed by dinner on Diagon Alley. As they left the restaurant, Justin stopped Ginny and took the opportunity to kiss her. The kiss was nice; not overly long but it did linger.

Lucius was walking up to the restaurant Draco had asked him to for dinner. Draco had complained that Lucius had been in a foul mood and thought that talking it out might help. Lucius stopped as soon as he saw Ginny's distinctive red hair; her back was facing towards him but he could tell what was going on. She did not see him, but he heard her agree to go out with Justin again. After she said her goodbyes to Justin, she Apparated to the Burrow to pick up Kyra. She had tea with her parents, then they headed home. Once she got Kyra in bed. Ginny changed into her pajamas, which were a two piece satin powder blue set; the kind of pajamas that made you feel sexy. It was only ten at night and Ginny was not ready for bed just yet. She curled up on her sofa to read a book. She had been reading for about fifteen minutes when the wards around the house went off. She got up and headed for the door. As she opened it she was surprised to see Lucius. She tried to think of something to say, but he spoke first. "Can I talk to you?"

Ginny looked down the hall towards Kyra's room,."Fine, give me a minute." She closed the door, headed down the hall, closed Kyra's bedroom door, and grabbed a robe, and her wand. She would not fix her hair, she decided and as she stepped out the front door, she noted he was standing on the path at the bottom of the steps. Before descending the steps, she asked "What do you want?"

"I wanted to speak to you about the type of men you're exposing Kyra to," Lucius said. She looked at him. He could see the anger in her eyes. She guessed he or maybe Draco saw her with Justin tonight."Let's sit down." He motioned to a stone bench that was in the garden.

She did not know why she followed him, but she did. "I don't think after what you said at the hospital, you have the right to say anything about who or what I expose Kyra to. In fact the only person I made a mistake in exposing Kyra to is you"

He sat down, giving her the power position. "You're right, I don't have the right. But I want the right."

"Lucius, I'm sorry but I can't let you walk in and out of her life."

"I can't allow you to expose her to that type of person."

"Lucius-"

"Ginevra, I don't want you seeing that kind of person. Ginevra, I mean it," he persisted.

"Lucius, I really don't think you have the right to say anything!" He stood up and in one movement, grabbed her, pulled her close and kissed her. She fought back this time. "Lucius! If Kyra was to see us..."

"She's just going to have to get used to seeing me kiss you because I have no intention of never touching my wife if our child could see it," he said as he lowered his lips back down on hers.

She pulled away again. "Your wife? What the hell are you talking about?"

"That's the only way I can ensure that you don't continue to see people like that boy this evening."

"And just why would I marry you after the horrible things you said?" She looked directly into his eyes, which were steel gray.

Lucius pulled her down to the bench and sat facing her. "Ginevra, I'm a powerful man. I've never liked showing any weakness, but when I saw Kyra tied up, floating in the air; well, I've only once before felt so weak. Suddenly, it became clear to me that my feelings for you and Kyra were my biggest weakness. Once I knew Kyra was safe, I believed that the farther away from me and my heart you were, the safer you both would be from those who would want to hurt me," he explained.

"Lucius, you can't..."

"Please allow me to finish. I said all those cruel things to try to make you hate me; it seemed kinder than to just walk away. I know I was wrong, and if you can't forgive me, I will have to accept it. But Ginevra, seeing you in someone else's arms tonight was the worst thing I ever had to witness,.I can't begin to imagine spending the rest of my life knowing someone else was holding you, making love to you, being loved by you. I have enough life experience to know that if I don't try to be with you I will regret it the rest of my life. Look, it won't be easy. We view things differently, but I know that I love you, and I need to have you by my side until the day I die."

This time, Ginny had tears in her eyes, but she closed the gap between her and Lucius, kissing him. After a minute, she pulled away. "How do I know that you're telling the truth now and you weren't in the hospital?"

"I can't take back what I did to you, and I will spend the rest of our lives making it up to you. But I am sorry." he said and kissed her again. She realized that he was telling the truth; after all, she had first- hand experience of the lengths he would go to protect his family. Ginny was smart enough to know Malfoys don't normally apologize. This time, their kiss was interrupted by Kyra.

"Daddy!" Ginny tried to pull away from him, but he held her close."Daddy!" She ran across the grass towards them. Once she reached them, he finally let go of Ginny and dropped to his knees, hugging Kyra tightly. Half a minute later, he released her, but only far enough to see her face. He just looked at her, glassy-eyed. "Daddy, don't cry. I missed you too!" He hugged her again, this time looking up at Ginny. She smiled at him.

"Is that a yes?" His eyebrow rose. She nodded her head. "Kyra, how would you feel if your mummy and I got married?"

"Yippee!"

"Okay, but you have to go back to bed. I'll see you in the morning." Kyra nodded and headed back to the house. Lucius pulled Ginny close again and kissed her.

After the door shut, Ginny asked, "Do you want to come in?"

"In view of some of the things I said to you at the hospital, I think it would be best if I don't. Besides, if I come in tonight, I won't be leaving. I think if the first time we make love is on our wedding night, you might be more trusting of me."

Ginny was a little disappointed that Lucius did not come in the night before. The next morning, she woke up, showered, did her hair, her make up, and got dressed all luckily before Kyra got up. She made breakfast as Kyra got dressed. While the little girl ate, she started talking about telling Molly and anyone else who was at the Burrow about Mummy and Daddy getting married. Ginny began to panic, however that was put on hold as the wards went off. She opened the door to see Lucius; she blushed a little at seeing him. "I did say I would be back today."

She moved away from the door to let him in. "I know, I just was not expecting you til this afternoon. Good morning." Lucius, who had stepped in, pulled her close and kissed her. The kiss was cut short.

"Daddy, good morning! Are you going to stay this morning?" Kyra asked. He let go of Ginny and picked up Kyra.

"If your mummy will let me." They both looked at Ginny.

"Please Mummy, can Daddy stay?"

Ginny looked at him and smiled. "Can you?" she asked.

"I wanted to begin making things up to you both today. I found it very lonely in bed last night and I don't want to have to wait very long for our wedding." He eyed her hungrily.

"Why, Daddy?"

He started tickling Kyra. "Because I miss all the noise you make in the morning."

Between the squeals and laughter, Kyra said, "I don't make noise in the morning!"

"You don't, do you?" he questioned and his tickling increased as well as her laughter.

"Lucius, I can't take her to Mum's until I talk to the whole family. Could you watch her while I do my errands and make arrangements to talk to everyone?"

He looked at her. "Do you want me to join you when we tell them?"

"No, I think for now it might be best if I do this on my own. They're all just a little upset with you right now."

He nodded, but Kyra spoke up, "Uncle Harry said he wanted five minutes alone with you, daddy."

Lucius looked at Kyra. "When did he say that princess?"

"The morning after he slept here." Kyra replied. Lucius gave Ginny a very questioning look.

Ginny could tell Lucius was thinking the worst. "Kyra, why don't you tell your father about how you found Uncle Harry here."

Kyra started laughing again. "I woke up before Mummy and Uncle Harry and I came to the living room and sat on Uncle Harry's head! He said he had a headache. Do you think it was because I sat on him?" she asked with the innocence only a child can have.

"He showed up drunk after a row with Luna. I let him sleep on the sofa," Ginny finished.

Lucius put Kyra down. "I want you to go finish your breakfast, Kyra. I'll be in after I speak to your mother." After Kyra disappeared into the kitchen, he turned to Ginny. "Was that all it was?"

"Yes, Lucius, I promise. I can tell you I've only ever been with one man in my life, and as of our wedding night, the number will still be the same."

Lucius looked surprised. "I did not realize that," he paused. "Ginevra, tell me, what else has your family been saying about me recently?"

"Lucius, they were all pretty upset by what happened. But with the exception of a couple of comments that were mostly over Kyra's head, they have been careful to not say much in front of her. To be honest, I couldn't find a way to tell her what happened. She thinks you've just been really busy lately."

He shook his head, "After everything I said, you did not say anything against me."

"I could not break her heart. I just kept hoping that she would slowly get used to you not being around again."

Lucius wrapped his arms around her. "Have I told you that I love you?"

Ginny looked up at him and smiled, "Not today, but I like hearing it, because I love you too." He brought his lips down on her. Just as he deepened the kiss...

"Daddy, you said you were coming!" Kyra had returned. Lucius made a low growl, and Ginny laughed.

"I love her too, but we're going on our honeymoon alone."

Ginny laughed harder and said, "I have to ask Mum how she and Dad ever found the time to have seven of us."

"I have NO desire to know anything about your parents' sex lives!" Lucius stated, horrified.

"Look, give me a couple of hours and then we can really talk." Ginny said reassuringly.

Before Ginny left, she Floo'd her mother to tell her Kyra would not be over that morning. Ginny left the house feeling happier than she had been in a long time.

  
  
  



	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Ginny Apparated first over to Shell Cottage. Fleur invited her in and made tea for the two of them. The two sat together but it was Fleur who spoke first, "So tell, you seem to be in a very good mood. 'ow did your date last night go?"

Ginny shifted uncomfortably, "I had a very nice time, but I needed to talk to you about what happened after my date." Fleur's eyes grew wide with interest. "Lucius stopped by."

"What 'appened? Kyra did not see you two fight?"

"No, I would not say that. He, I guess, saw me on my date with Justin; you know Justin's a Muggle born. Lucius was not happy about me seeing him."

"We, Bill and I, knew dat all was not az it seemed. A man like 'im does not risk 'is life for something as stupid like sex."

"He told me he wants me to be his wife."

"Congratulations! I'm so 'appy for you! Den, you forgave 'im, didn't you?" Fleur smiled. Ginny nodded sheepishly. "You agreed to marry 'im, right?"

"Yes, but now I have to tell everyone. You said you would be there for me, and I was hoping you might be there when I tell them. Just for support, you know."

"I understand why you will need it. Ginny, I love you as much as Gabrielle. 'ow could I not be dere for you. When do you want to do dis?"

"I think tomorrow. I don't know how long I can keep Kyra quiet. And I only want to do it once."

"What if dey can't get over it?"

Ginny got a sad look on her face. "I don't know. I love them, but I-I love him too. And Kyra has a right to her father."

"Well, I will be 'ere for you and I'm sure de same goes for Bill. I'll tell him tonight. Even if 'e takes it poorly, 'e will 'ave calmed down by dinner tomorrow night," assured Fleur.

Ginny finished her errands, which included the bank deposit from the Joke shop. Then she headed back to her house. Finding Lucius and Kyra having a tea party when she arrived, Lucius seemed very happy to see Ginny. "We have a number of questions that Kyra wants answers to," he explained as he greeted her with a kiss.

She smiled. "I can imagine. Kyra," Kyra, who was busy talking to one of her dolls, looked up. "Daddy and I need to talk; do you mind if he comes with me to the kitchen?"

Kyra happily nodded, then continued playing as Ginny and Lucius entered the kitchen. He warned her; "I don't think you realize just how much she paid attention to the plans for your brother's wedding. I did not want to tell her anything until we talked."

"I guessed she would be like that. I'm just worried about telling my family."

"I can understand why they might not take it well. If you change your mind about this... well, I would not like it but I want you to be happy."

She was leaning against the counter. "I've been happier today than in a long time. I just hope they love me enough to care more about my happiness than about who I'm marrying."

"Then when do you want to get married?" he asked as he moved closer to her, putting his arms around her. He looked down into her eyes.

"I kind of always liked the idea of an outside ceremony. But a Christmas wedding would be nice, too." She smiled at him.

He looked thoughtfully at her, "Christmas seems reasonable. If we had an outdoor ceremony, we would have to rush to get everything done, before it gets too cold. Or wait until spring, and I don't want to wait that long. We could hold the whole wedding at the Manor."

Ginny nodded. She knew that her family might not be happy about this, but at this moment, she also knew they just might disown her. So the Manor made sense. Just then, the wards went off. "Lucius, go into Kyra's room with her while I get rid of whoever this is. I only want to have to go through telling my family once." He simply kissed her on the forehead and then headed for Kyra's room. Once her door closed, Ginny opened the front door, surprised to see Draco standing there. "Hello, Draco."

"Hello, Ginny. I'm sorry for stopping by unannounced." Ginny indicated for him to come in. She led him into the living room and he continued, "How are you doing?"

She smiled at him. "I'm really good, Draco." He seemed surprised at this.

"Oh, well, that's something. Look, I was at the office this morning," It was at that moment that Lucius entered the living room but because Draco's back was to the entrance, he did not see his father. "And this had – well, it was sitting on Father's secretary's desk." Draco reached into his robe pocket and pulled out a package.

"Tell me Draco," Draco spun around to see Lucius standing there.

"Father, what are you doing here?" Draco asked, placing the package on the table.

"I was discussing wedding plans with Ginevra," Lucius said and stepped around Draco to place his arm around Ginny.

Draco smiled at her, "Well then, maybe you'll be in a better mood than you have been of late." Ginny glanced up at Lucius and saw in his face that, yes, he had been in a very bad mood recently. She gave him a smile as Draco continued. "Congratulations, Ginny!" He took her hands and pulled her closer, kissing her cheek.

"You're okay with the fact that there will be a Weasley in the family?" she asked.

"I don't really see the difference; I mean we're already related because of Kyra, and if Father's going to be in a better mood, all the better."

"As I was saying, Draco, do you always take things off of Rainer's desk?" Lucius reached down and picked up the package. He read the label, then handed it to Ginny. It read:

_ Ginevra Weasley _

_ C/O Mr. Lucius Malfoy _

_ Malfoy Holdings _

_ London, England _

And the return label read:

_ George Lucas _

_ Skywalker Ranch _

_ California, U.S.A. _

"I was just trying to help," Draco said.

"Thank you, Draco," Ginny replied, then she turned to Lucius. "What's Kyra doing?"

"She was asleep when I got to her room."

"I take it, Ginny, your family does not know about your upcoming wedding then?" Draco asked.

"Not yet; I plan on telling them all tomorrow."

"I'm sure that will be fun. Care to sell tickets? I'd buy the whole lot." he teased.

Ginny shook her head. "I'm glad to see you haven't changed completely, ferret."

Draco blushed at the memory, but took it as good-natured teasing. "On that note, I have to be going. I have a date to get ready for tonight. Father, Ginny, congratulations." Draco then left.

Lucius had followed Draco to the door. Ginny picked up the package and began to open it. Inside she found a note and a CD recording of Phantom of the Opera. The note read:

_ Ms Weasley, _

_ I noted just how moved you seemed to be at the performance. _

_ I thought you might enjoy this. I hope to see you the next time Lucius is _

_ in town. You seemed to have a good effect on him. _

_ Take care, _

_ George _

Lucius looked at her reading the note. "Ginevra, what is it?" he asked.

"George just sent me a CD of Phantom."

"He did, did he?" Lucius asked coldly as he came closer.

"Lucius, stop that! He's just being nice. See? Read the note yourself." She handed him the note. After he read it, she continued; "Not everyone is a cradle robber like yourself."

Lucius pulled her into his arms. "A cradle robber, am I?" he began kissing her neck.

"Oh, I don't mind; there's something to be said for experience." She laughed at him. Then she got serious. "Lucius, are you always this-"

"I don't like to share if that's what you mean." Ginny looked at him and then at the clock.

Pulling away, she exclaimed, "I completely forgot, I have to get dinner going!" and headed off to the kitchen

Lucius followed. "I don't think it's the end of the world if dinner is late," he offered.

"But I have company coming," she explained. "Severus is coming for dinner tonight. Will you stay, too? We could share our news with him."

"Did he tell you he came to the hospital to kill me after I hurt you."

Ginny's eyes grew big. "He said if you ever hurt me or Kyra he would, but you seem quite alive. He must be slipping."

"He decided that seeing you move on with someone else would be a much better punishment," Lucius explained the fact that he was still breathing.

"He always was good at finding the worst do you think?"

He watched as she began pulling things out of the cupboards, "Ginevra, I'll call a house elf over to do the cooking for you."

Ginny stopped dead. "No you won't. Look, this is the kind of thing I was talking about when I said we're from two different worlds. You see cooking as a chore; for me to take the time and make someone a meal is just one way of saying 'I care about you.' I enjoy it. Yes, it's work, but if you're not willing to work at something, then what's the point?"

Lucius came close to her, placing a stray piece of her hair behind her ear. "I have every intention of working very hard to make up for hurting you." She smiled at him, then allowed him to kiss her.

Dinner with Severus went well. He seemed truly happy for them, and at least Ginny was not marrying Potter. But even he worried about Ginny telling her family. The next day, Lucius came and took Kyra out when Ginny was ready to go to the Burrow. Lucius was being very secretive about what they were going to do, but Kyra seemed excited. So the three went their separate ways. Ginny made a point of arriving at the Burrow a little late.

Everyone was already at the Burrow when she arrived. Fleur greeted Ginny with a hug and whispered, "Bill's okay wit' tings. Do it soon." Ginny weakly smiled.

"Would you gather the guys from outside?" she asked her sister-in-law.

Fleur headed out and Ginny entered the kitchen, where her mother, Angelina, Luna and Hermione were sitting around the table chatting. "Hello," Ginny said. No one asked at first about Kyra, thinking she was playing with Victorie and Teddy.

As the men began entering the kitchen, all looking hungry, Ginny wondered who would still have an appetite after her news. Ginny stood next to the counter as everyone found a place. It seemed like a good idea to tell everyone at the same time, but now this large group of thirteen seemed terrifying. Molly spoke up, "Okay everyone, Ginny has something to tell us. Ginny dear, go ahead."

Ginny cleared her throat. "Well, um, thanks for coming. I don't really know where to begin. I want you all to know how much I love each and every one of you."

"Oh, thanks Gin. We love you too," George said.

"Thanks I hope you still say that after what I have to say. Please just let me get through this: then you can all say whatever you want to. The night before last, I had a visitor come by. It was Lucius, and he explained that the reason he said that stuff at the hospital was to hurt me. He realized when he woke up how I felt about him. He needed to make me hate him so that when he walked out of mine and Kyra's lives, it would not hurt me as much."

"He did not just hurt you! What about Kyra?" Hermione exclaimed..

"Please let me finish. He believed that if I hated him that it would not hurt me so much when he left us. Then no one would ever try to hurt Kyra or me to get even with him for things he's done in the past."

"Are you going to trust him to be around Kyra again?" Charlie asked.

"He's just going to hurt you again," Ron said.

No, Ron, he isn't. I'm sure of that. I would not have let him come around if I wasn't sure.. Anyway, I'm just going to say it. Lucius and I are going to get married. At Christmas time." For a second, Ginny swore that she would have heard a pin drop. Then the shit hit the fan.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley, you are not to marry that man!" Molly shouted, her face red with anger.

"That's just fucking great! You know, the Dark Lord really fucked your head up in your first year. You're really crazy!" Ron cried out.

Which was followed by, "Ronald, watch your tongue!"

"No, Ginny." came from Harry.

"Ginny, he's a Death Eater. You can't," Hermione spoke softly.

Charlie sat quietly but looked mad. Percy said, "Ginny, only if you're sure. I must insist you be careful, though." Ginny knew he was only thinking of how he could benefit from this.

"Ginny, I know you would not do anything you weren't sure of. I can't wait," George smiled and nodded. All the wives and girlfriends remained quiet.

But what Ginny noticed most was how her father turned red and then quietly rose from the table and walked out the back door. She wanted to go after him, but first she had to deal with this mob. "Yes, I am marrying him. I love him and he loves me. Percy, George, thank you for your support. Ron, Charlie, Harry, Hermione, and Mum, I love all of you, but I am doing this with or without your support. I would hope that you all would care more about my happiness than who it is, or what the person who makes me happy has done. Mum, this may sound cruel, but if you can't accept this, it will change things between us and we will never be as close as we have been. As much as it may hurt me, you all are my past, and I hope, part of my future. But I know Lucius is my future, and if I have to, I will leave my past behind me. I'm going to talk to dad; you all can make up your mind while I speak to him." Ginny walked out of the kitchen and looked around for her father. She did not see him, but she heard noise coming from the shed. She walked out to the shed, and slowly opened the door to see Arthur destroying many of his Muggle things. "Daddy, please don't do that."

He looked up at her. "Why, Ginny? Why him, of all people?"

It hurt Ginny to see her father breaking his beloved Muggle artifacts. "Would you please sit with me?" she asked. She sat on an old wooden box and waited for Arthur to join her, he did, she smiled up at her father. "When I was little, I always believed I would marry you. I don't know what I thought would happen to mum, but I wanted to marry you. As I got older, I realized I wanted to marry someone like you." She took her dad's hands in hers. "You always did everything you could to keep us safe and you loved us all very much. We were what you worried about most. Everything you did was, in your mind, for our well being. On those things, Lucius is just like you, dad."

"Ginny, our families have been at war with each other for years."

"I remember, after that day in Flourish and Blotts, asking you about why you and he thought so differently. You told me people like him, Death Eaters, believed that Purebloods were better than anyone else, and that they did not understand that if you love someone, it does not matter what they are; all that really matters is who they are. That love, real love, does not know Pureblood or Muggle born; it just happens. Daddy, love also does not know family feuds. I love him, and I want to be happy with him. I'm not asking you to be happy about this; I'm only asking that you accept it and continue to love me. At most, be civil towards him. Please."

"I don't want to lose my only daughter, so I will try because I love you.," he said and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Daddy, I will not have you give me away at the wedding. I won't have you do something that I know you don't want to do, but I do want you there."

"Ginny, when did you grow up so much?" he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders and smiled at her father. "I love you, daddy."

"Me too, Sweet Pea. But if he ever hurts you, I will kill him with my bare hands. " He paused. "Everyone in there is pretty upset as well," he stated the obvious.

"Yes, but I was most worried about you."

"I don't want to lose my only little girl."

Ginny rose and smiled, "You're taking this much better than I thought you would."

He looked at her guiltily, "I've had time to get used to the idea. I knew this was coming since the day Kyra went missing. I could see it coming. Now let's go see if the rest of them have calmed down."


End file.
